If a study determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations of men and women in different occupations, it may be tempting to conclude that gender discrimination is responsible for the results. However, as always, we must consider confounding factors. For example, men might prefer higher-paying jobs to secretarial work because they think it will help them attract mates more easily. Or they might have better negotiating skills than women so that they can negotiate higher salaries on the job market. This study did not control for such factors, so we cannot make a definitive conclusion about gender discrimination from these data alone.”
I was reading a popular psychology magazine the other day, and a study caught my attention. In this research, scientists determined the difference in average salary for subpopulations. The researchers stated that one of the reasons identified for this difference was gender discrimination . However, I couldn’t stop thinking about another factor. Are some subpopulation groups more susceptible to gender discrimination than others?
A study that determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations is called a “regression analysis.”
A regression analysis is a type of statistical method that allows researchers to determine whether there is a relationship between two variables. The most common application of regression analysis is to find out whether there is a direct relationship between two variables, such as income and age. In this case, the researcher would want to test whether there is a correlation between the two variables.
The researcher would also want to look at how much influence each variable has on its own. For example, if one person had an income of $10,000 and another had an income of $1 million, it might be tempting to think that there was some kind of direct relationship between income and age. However, this conclusion would be inaccurate because the second person earned his or her money over many years while the first person earned his or her money all at once. This article also discusses if a study determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations of mechanical engineers.
If a study determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations
Let’s say you’re a data analyst at a high-end frozen yogurt company and you want to know if the average salary for employees who were promoted in the last year is higher than the average salary of those who weren’t. In this case, we would be interested in whether there is a statistically significant difference between these two populations’ salaries. We would perform a statistical test to determine whether we can reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between these groups.
The correct answer is 16%. For example, a salary of $25,000 per year for members of the reference group and $29,000 for members of the comparison group indicates a proportional difference in average salaries of 16% ($29,000-$25,000 / $25,000).
if a study determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations of mechanical engineers
If a study determines the difference in average salary for subpopulations of mechanical engineers and civil engineers is NOT significant.
This assertion simply means that average salaries of the mechanical and civil engineers are not different.
Thus, the subpopulations of mechanical and civil engineers are not earning different salaries.