Social Support and Compensating Differentials in the Ministry: Gender Differences in Two Protestant Denominations

Abstract

In keeping with the compensating differentials argument, we posit that higher levels of social support for female clergy than for male clergy could serve to compensate women for their lower material rewards (lower pay and placement in small, low-budget churches). To test this hypothesis we study 1819 full-time male and female ministers from a national sample of the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Disciples of Christ (DOC)). Consistent with the compensating differentials argument, female clergy do receive more social support than their male counterparts; women receive greater congregational support, greater informal benefits, greater colleague support, and greater denomination hierarchy support. In addition, a positive personality, which characterizes female clergy more frequently than male clergy, is one of the major factors that leads to increased support.