Date of Award
8-1986
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Dr. Charles C. Warfield
Second Advisor
Dr. Carol Sheffer
Third Advisor
Dr. John Nangle
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the wages of administrators at Western Michigan University to answer the following questions: Are there wage differentials between men and women in administrative positions at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan; and, if differentials exist, what are possible explanations for such wage differentials?
The research population was 439 non-bargaining unit administrative employees; 241 females and 198 males were included.
The data were gathered from university records, using a computerized system developed by the researcher. In addition to gender and salary, the variables of experience, education, occupation selection (grade) and performance were studied. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the variable parameters for the population. Mean values and correlation coefficients were determined on the variables for both females and males. Comparisons were made for each variable using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and tests for statistical significance of the differences between the correlation coefficients. Multiple R's were recorded for the study of the comparison of the combination of all variables.
A wage differential between males and females in administrative positions at Western Michigan University was evident. The following explanations for the wage differential were offered: (1) Experience was a positive contributing factor in salary determination and females had, on the average, less work experience than males at the university; (2) Education was a positive contributing factor in salary determination, and females had, on the average, less education than males at the University; (3) Grade was a major determiner of salary, and females occupied a greater proportion of the lower salary grades than males occupied at the university; (4) Although females had a higher performance mean value than males, performance was not as strong a determiner of salary as experience, education, or grade; (5) Experience, education, grade, and performance aggregated explained a significant portion of the salaries for both males and females.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Liggett, Barbara S., "A Study of Wage Differentials between Females and Males in Administrative Positions in a Michigan University" (1986). Dissertations. 2281.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2281