Salary Inequity in Social Work: A Review of the Knowledge and a Call to Action
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act of 1963, research continues to find disparity between the salaries of men and women across disciplines. This study examines the empirical evidence on gender and salary within the social work profession from the 1960s to present day.
Methods: A systematic literature review was designed to capture the most complete historical knowledge possible of salary and gender within the social work profession. Peer-reviewed articles included in this review focused on salary disparities among men and women in social work and included the reports of empirical research among social workers, social work students, and social work faculty members. Search terms included gender, social work, salary inequity, men and women, and pay equity. The initial search produced 40 articles matching the search criteria. The reference lists of these articles were examined to find other articles and books that met the criteria for the study, and that process was repeated when new articles were found. In total, 135 articles and books were reviewed. Articles and books were retained for the study if a) the full text of the article could be located; b) they were in English; and c) they included the results of empirical research that included both salaries and gender as variables. A total of 51 articles and three books were accessible in English and full-text. A total of 23 articles included empirical information from original research in which data was collected between 1967 and 2006. These articles form the basis for this study.
Findings: Salary disparities were found between men and women in majority of the studies reviewed. The authors classify contributing factors into three categories: characteristics of the employing organizations, characteristics of the position held, and characteristics of the individual, in addition to a subset of factors relevant to social workers in academic positions. Organizational characteristics were found to be influential across the board, including agency auspices and geography. Positional characteristics were also influential, including the field of practice, level of the position, leadership requirements, and number of hours worked per week. Influential individual characteristics, other than gender, included age, race/ethnicity, level of education, training, experience, career goals, family status, amount and purpose of time out of the work force, number of job changes, and speed of promotions. Factors specifically influential for social workers in academics included rank, tenure, level of primary program; time spent on research, number of articles published and total publications in a year, and gender of dean.
Conclusion and Implications: This research highlighted the lack of recent systematic investigation into salary disparities within the social work profession. The researchers recommend that a systematic national assessment of compensation within social work be conducted to examine the factors found to be significant in this review. This research could be used to support and advocate for better practices within social work education, social work practice, and legislative policy.