Financial inadequacy and the disadvantageous changes in time perspective and goal‐striving strategies throughout life

Summary As inequality in wealth and income continues to grow, it is important to consider the implications of financial disparities for worker motivation and behavior. While workers with socioeconomic disadvantages have a decreased chance of career success and upward social mobility, the potential mechanisms linking financial status to work motivation outcomes are not fully known. Drawing on theory on resource scarcity, we address this issue and propose that financial inadequacy shapes the extent to which workers consider and plan for the future, with consequences for goal‐striving strategies throughout adulthood. Latent change analyses of data from a heterogeneous sample of 4,446 working adults largely supported the hypotheses. Results showed that a high level of financial inadequacy predicted increases in short‐term time horizon and decreases in future‐oriented planning, which then predicted disadvantageous changes in goal‐striving strategies over an 18‐year period. Short‐term time horizon also predicted subsequent increases in financial inadequacy. By highlighting the motivational challenges associated with inadequate finances that accompany low‐wage employment, our study offers evidence for the motivational mechanisms that may reinforce economic inequality and social mobility in the workforce.