Gender differences in job satisfaction across Europe: do men and women experience work differently?

The main aim of this paper is to study gender differences in job satisfaction in Europe. For the empirical analysis, we employed data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS, 2017). To assess the associations between some work-role inputs and outputs and satisfaction with work, we employed ordered probit models. The results show that women report greater job satisfaction than men do. Women value the intrinsic characteristics of their jobs more than men do. While women report that helping others and doing a useful job is important to them, men place a greater value on wage level. However, good prospects for career advancement matter more for women than for men. Being helped and supported both by colleagues and managers, since this support implies good work relationships, influences job satisfaction for both groups but is more important for women than for men. Originality/value – We have added new evidence to the literature on job satisfaction (i.e. the correlation between work-role inputs and outputs and job satisfaction) using a very large sample of countries, whereas most previous research has focused on single nations or small groups of countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the EWCS (2017) has been employed with this aim. In addition, we have expanded the evidence on the correlates of job satisfaction within the European labour market.