Könsrelaterade förväntningar och lönesättning inom finansbranschen - en kvalitativ intervjustudie om hur förväntningar påverkar lönesättningsprocessen för kvinnor respektive män

Abstract

Despite ongoing efforts toward equality, persistent wage gaps between men and women in Sweden still remain, particularly within male dominated industries, such as finance. Gender equality is a prominent topic in public discourse, yet progress towards achieving equal pay between men and women continues to be slow. This study aims to contribute to the research area and offers a unique perspective by examining gender related expectations from both men and women, managers and employees. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, and if so how, gender related expectations influence salary setting processes in the financial industry. Through a qualitative study based on semistructured interviews, the study explores how both employee’s and manager’s gender related expectations affect attitudes, salary negotiations and potential outcomes of salary setting. The empirical results show that men tend to have higher salary expectations and are expected to negotiate, while women tend to have lower expectations and underestimate their competence. Manager’s gender based assumptions also influence how salary demands are received and evaluated. By highlighting the interrelation between both employee’s and manager’s expectations, the study offers insights into the mechanisms behind continued gendered salary disparities. The study concludes that mutual and often unconscious gender related expectations affect attitude towards salary negotiations, which indicates an impact on salary setting. This highlights the need to address gender related expectations as a part of promoting equal salary setting practices within the finance industry.