Identifier
etd-07102008-112549
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Despite major advances in equality of rights, women still earn less money than men. Social science researchers see sex-based income inequality as an issue of discrimination. While the problem has been identified, its causes are a matter of debate. In this study I offer one possible influence on this discrimination. I theorize that conservative Protestant culture has a strong effect on local norms and business practices. Those norms are a part of the institutional environment, and manifest themselves as allocative and valuative discrimination, keeping women out of high paying jobs or paying women in high skilled jobs less than men in similarly skilled positions. I test my theory using Hierarchical Linear Modeling techniques and data from the U.S. Census and the Association of Religious Data Archives. My results show a significant association between the proportion of the population that belongs to conservative Protestant congregations and the sex-wage gap. However, the amounts involved are relatively small.
Date
2008
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Gremillion, Skylar Craig, "The culture of conservative Protestantism and income inequality: a multilevel analysis" (2008). LSU Master's Theses. 2897.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2897
Committee Chair
Mariano Sana
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_theses.2897