Sense of Subordination as a Predictor of Subjective Well-Being Among Government and Private Sector Employees

The present study examined the role of sense of subordination in determining the subjective well-being of employees working in government and private sector organizations. In workplace settings, employees often experience hierarchical relationships where perceived low power, dependency, and inferiority may influence their psychological health and life satisfaction. The study was carried out on a sample of 187 employees, including 97 private sector employees and 90 government employees, with a mean age of 36.4 years. Participants were selected from Darbhanga and Begusarai districts of Bihar using a purposive cum snowball sampling technique. The Social Comparison Scale (Allan & Gilbert, 1995) was used to assess sense of subordination, while Subjective Well-Being Inventory (Nagpal & Sell, 1992) was administered to measure subjective well-being. The findings revealed a significant difference between government and private sector employees in sense of subordination, with private sector employees showing relatively higher subordination. Similarly, government sector employees reported significantly higher subjective well-being compared to private sector employees. Correlation analysis indicated a significant negative relationship between sense of subordination and subjective well-being, suggesting that employees experiencing greater subordination tend to have lower levels of well-being. Regression analysis further confirmed that sense of subordination significantly predicted subjective well-being among employees. The results highlight that psychological experiences of rank and power imbalance at workplace can meaningfully shape employees’ happiness and satisfaction in life. The study implies that improving workplace dignity, autonomy, and respectful supervisory practices may contribute to better well-being, particularly among private sector employees.