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Gender Dimensions of Public Service Motivation
Author(s) -
DeHartDavis Leisha,
Marlowe Justin,
Pandey Sanjay K.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00655.x
Subject(s) - public service motivation , compassion , public service , dominance (genetics) , sociology , social psychology , public relations , service (business) , psychology , public policy , survey data collection , public administration , political science , public sector , business , marketing , biochemistry , chemistry , statistics , mathematics , law , gene
Feminist scholars of public administration have critiqued the dominance of masculine imagery in public administration theory and practice. However, public service motivation is one area of public administration discourse that contains both feminine and masculine imagery. Focusing on Perry’s multidimensional public service motivation scale, the authors borrow from a range of social science literatures to contend that compassion is a feminine dimension of public service motivation, whereas attraction to policy making and commitment to public service are masculine dimensions. Data from a survey of public managers in state health and human service agencies reveal that women score higher on Perry’s compassion subscale but also on attraction to policy making. No statistically significant gender differences were found on commitment to public service.