Job satisfaction in Europe: a gender analysis

Abstract Purpose – The main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in job satisfaction in Europe. Design/methodology/approach – For the empirical analysis, data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey were used. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a principal component analysis (PCA) aggregated variable, after unconditional quantile regressions in a multiple imputation background, was implemented. Findings – Women report higher job satisfaction than men do. Women were significantly more satisfied than men for the middle levels of the job satisfaction distribution. Originality/value – This study expands the evidence on the determinants of job satisfaction in the European labour market by applying a recent form of decomposition that invests in unconditional quantile regression (UQR). To the best of this study knowledge, this is the first time that the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a PCA aggregated variable after unconditional quantile regression has been employed to study gender-based differences in job satisfaction