Abstract
The prevalence of low-wage jobs in the United States has raised significant concerns about the relationship between wages and health. While the existing literature indicates that low-wages predict poor health outcomes, this study explores whether low-wage workers, already facing economic precarity, experience additional mental health stressors when their wages fall below the minimum wage. Using data from multiple waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study investigates the prevalence of minimum wage violations and their association with mental health. Descriptive results reveal a high prevalence of minimum wage violations among low-wage workers; however, models do not show a significant correlation between these violations and increased psychological distress. Counterintuitively, findings suggest that minimum wage violations may be linked to a slight decrease in distress. The paradoxical findings could reflect how employers exploit workers who are motivated to avoid unemployment at any cost. This study enhances our understanding of minimum wage violations as a possible public health concern.
Committee Chair
Jake Rosenfeld
Committee Members
Michael Esposito, Patrick Ishizuka
Degree
Master of Arts (AM/MA)
Author's Department
Sociology
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
Winter 12-2024
Language
English (en)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/c2nx-mz86
Recommended Citation
Hibi, Daichi, "The Exploitation of Motivated Workers: Exploring the Association Between Minimum Wage Violations and Mental Health in the U.S." (2024). Arts & Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 3440.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/c2nx-mz86