Notions of fair earnings for high-status and low-status professions

Abstract

In contemporary European societies, notions of earnings justice are based on the one hand, on the meritocratic principle, that people who perform better in their job should earn more; on the other hand, these notions are shaped by historically grown ideas of social justice which differ between countries. Against this backdrop, we examine what earnings gaps between high-status occupations (managers, cabinet ministers, doctors) and low-status jobs (shop assistants, unskilled workers) are considered as fair by the population of 14 Western and Eastern European countries. Analyses are based on survey data from the International Social Survey Programme. Comparing results for 2009 and 2019, we also analyze, whether notions of legitimate differences in earnings between occupational groups changed, in a period of increasing social inequality and precarious working conditions.