The Moderating Effect of Gender on Basic Pay Equity and Employee Commitment In Lagos State Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between perceived basic pay equity and employee commitment among teachers in private primary and secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Despite extensive research on compensation and commitment, limited attention has been given to how perceptions of internal and external pay equity influence the multidimensional nature of employee commitment—affective, normative, and continuance—particularly across gender. Adopting a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, primary data
were collected from 104 teachers selected from six private schools using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability tests, and multiple regression analysis with interaction terms to examine moderating effects. The findings reveal that perceived internal pay equity does not significantly influence affective
commitment, while perceived external pay equity has a significant positive effect, particularly among female teachers. Furthermore, both internal and external pay equity significantly influence normative commitment, with stronger effects observed among male teachers. In terms of continuance commitment, internal pay equity exerts a stronger
influence on female teachers, whereas external pay equity has a greater impact on male teachers. Overall, gender significantly moderates the relationship between pay equity perceptions and certain dimensions of employee commitment. The study concludes that pay equity perceptions play a critical role in shaping employee commitment in the private
education sector, with notable gender-based differences. It recommends that school management implement fair and competitive compensation structures, alongside nonmonetary incentives, to enhance commitment and reduce turnover among teachers.

Keywords: perceived basic pay equity, employee commitment, gender, private schools, Nigeria