Work Values, Sexual Orientation, Pay, and Preference for Nonprofit and Public Sector Employment
33 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 25 Jun 2021
Date Written: 2011
Abstract
Does the under-representation of gay men in U.S. government workforces reflect a lack of desire for public sector jobs? Using large 2007 and 2010 surveys of Canadian college students, we show that gay and lesbian students are more likely than heterosexual students to want public and nonprofit sector jobs, partly because (1) they place higher value on altruistic and intrinsic rewards than do heterosexual students and (2) they expect to pay a smaller monetary penalty for choosing work in those sectors. Our findings are broadly consistent with the public service motivation literature, though altruistic motives drive students much more strongly to the nonprofit than to the public sector. Desires for job security and strong health and benefit plans have a bigger impact on wanting a government job. Despite economists’ findings that the federal government pays comparable workers less than the private sector, students preparing for government jobs expect to earn less than those heading to the private sector, and students who prioritize starting salary and advancement opportunities prefer private sector jobs.
Keywords: altruism, public service motivation, public-private pay differences, gay and lesbian, government and nonprofit sector employment
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