Racial Differences in the Value of Job Rewards

Abstract

Using data from 1973 and 1974 national surveys, this study examines differences between black and white workers in the value of job rewards. It was found that black workers were more likely than white workers to prefer extrinsic rewards of high income and job security and less likely to prefer an intrinsic reward of feelings of job accomplishment. These differences persisted after controlling for education, occupation, and income. About half of the original racial effect was found to be due to these three measures of objective social class and about half to race alone. These findings are discussed as they bear on the race-class issue and Maslow's theory of job values. The fit between rewards available to workers and rewards that workers value is a critical matter having both personal and organizational consequences (Coch and French; Simon; Vroom; Whyte; Yuchtman.) Hence it is important to study reward preferences of workers and how they may differ among different groups of workers. It is not unreasonable to expect that black and white workers might differ in the values placed on job rewards. It might be argued from Maslow that any such racial differences in the value of job rewards would be due to the lower socioeconomic status of black workers. On this issue, Maslow would agree with social scientists who argue that racial differences in values are mainly social class differences and that race has little effect independent of class (Banfield; Berger). This view conflicts with others asserting that race has major effects on values, independent of class (Blauner; Hurst). This paper investigates this issue by determining whether black and white workers do have different values for job rewards and then assesses the degree to which such differences are independent of the workers' education, occupation, and income. Maslow's theory would suggest that black workers would place