JOB SATISFACTION AND GENDER: EVIDENCE FROM AUSTRALIA
Temesgen Kifle1, Parvinder Kler2
1 School of Economics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072,
[email protected]
2 School of Economics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072,
[email protected]
Abstract
This paper investigates six different aspects of job satisfaction by gender over a four year period
in the Australian labour market using the HILDA panel dataset. We find females to be more
satisfied with five of the six job satisfaction measures, and to be statistically just as satisfied with
males for the sixth (flexibility). Running gender separated random effects ordered probit models,
we report that gender differences with different aspects of job satisfaction can be partially
explained by both personal and labour market characteristics. In particular, job satisfaction for
females is far less influenced by past labour market participation compared to males. Differences
in workplace characteristics are less pronounced though unionised females are less satisfied at
work compared to non-unionised females; a finding far less pronounced for males.
Given that past studies have found younger and more educated females to have comparable rates
of job satisfaction with their male peers, we re-ran random effects ordered probit models for both
‘educated’ and ‘young groups. Unlike previous studies, we find that younger females are still
more satisfied at work compared to males in four of the six measures investigated. However,
higher educated females are a much-different subset of employed females as a whole. They are
only more satisfied with higher educated males with respect to pay, and are actually less satisfied
with hours worked and job flexibility.
Overall, the use of HILDA’s panel dataset has produced results both consistent and inconsistent
with previous findings in the literature. Females’ higher level of job satisfaction is found, with no
econometric (but statistical) evidence that it is being eroded over time. However, we find no
evidence that younger females exhibit job satisfaction rates comparable to young males, while
highly educated females have satisfaction rates that failed to match initial expectations and
deserve further investigation.
1.0
Introduction
Job satisfaction has increasingly made in-roads in the labour economics literature in recent years
mainly due to the introduction of subjective measures imported from the field of psychology
(Clark, 1996, 1997; Sloane and Williams, 2000; Long, 2005). Job satisfaction allows economists
to investigate individual well-being in the workplace, alongside traditional labour market research
areas such as gender wage differentials and unemployment. According to Clark (1996: 189), “the
analysis of job satisfaction may give us a number of insights into certain aspects of the labour
market”.
One specific area of investigation is the study of differing levels of reported job satisfaction by
gender. Practically all studies (Clark, 1997; Sloane and Williams, 2000; Sousa-Poza and SousaPoza, 2003; Long, 2005) have shown that females possess higher levels of job satisfaction
compared to males, a puzzling outcome when one considers the existence of gender wage
differentials in favour of males1, as well as occupational segregation by gender, with women
occupying jobs with ‘lower’ prestige. There exist a number of theories as to why females possess
higher levels of job satisfaction. These include the role of expectations, a possible difference in
work ‘values’ and female selection into employment. These will be covered in Section 3.2 of this
paper.
Research into differing levels of job satisfaction by gender in Australia has only been briefly
covered, and this paper contributes to the literature by using a panel dataset that specifically
questions participants on six aspects of job satisfaction2. Previous study in Australia on this topic
has been limited to using cross-sectional data and only one aspect of job satisfaction3 (Long,
2005) and the data available to us allows us to track changes in job satisfaction over time. Briefly,
in our gender combined results, we find females to be more satisfied with five of the six aspects
of job satisfaction compared to males. When separated by gender, we discover that these differing
levels of satisfaction by gender can be partially attributed to differences in personal and labour
1
A significant portion of the gender wage gap is usually left ‘unexplained’ and is partially attributed to
discrimination against females (Blau and Kahn, 2006).
2
These are overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with job security, satisfaction with
(type of) work, satisfaction with hours worked and satisfaction with the ability to balance work and nonwork commitments (job flexibility).
3
Long (2005) investigates only overall job satisfaction.
market characteristics, with no evidence of time effects. We also find limited evidence of males
closing the ‘satisfaction gap’ over time.
This paper is structured as follows. Section two reviews the existing literature on gender
differences in job satisfaction. Section three presents the data, hypotheses and preliminary
statistical results while section four introduces the methodology underlying our econometric
evaluation of gender differences in job satisfaction. Section five introduces readers to the results
of our study while section six summarises and concludes.
2.0
Literature Review: Gender Differences in Job Satisfaction
Clark’s (1997) seminal study of gender differences in levels of job satisfaction in Britain found
females to have greater levels of satisfaction compared to males, despite being in jobs with lower
earnings and promotion opportunities compared to males. He posits that this is due to females
having lower expectations at work due to “the poorer position in the labour market that that
women have held in the past” (1997: 342). Clark suggests that females’ higher levels of job
satisfaction could be transitory as they improve their labour market performances over time4.
Clark also investigated female self-selection into employment to see if only ‘happier’ females
entered the workforce5 but found no evidence of sample selection bias. Neither did Clark find any
significant gender differences with respect to personal and work characteristics. He does however
find that gender differences in job satisfaction disappear for the young, the higher educated,
professionals and those in male-dominated workplaces. This indicates that females in the
aforementioned groups have expectation levels greater than females as a whole.
4
With greater labour market successes, females should increase their expectations at work, and thus be less
satisfied at work than in previous times when they were not so involved in labour markets.
5
The argument made is that due to cultural and historical reasons, females face less pressure to remain in
the workforce and hence, ‘unhappier’ females can exit the labour market, leaving only ‘happier’ females in
the labour market, thus artificially inflating females’ job satisfaction levels compared to males.
Consistent with Clark, Sloane and Williams6 (2000) report higher levels of job satisfaction for
females compared to males, despite earning lower pay. They also note that this could be due to
females having lower expectations. Nevertheless, females in male dominated workplaces have
similar satisfaction levels compared to males, perhaps reflecting higher expectations. Souza-Poza
and Sousa-Poza (2003) undertook a specific look at Britain using 1991-2000 data and found
evidence of falling levels of job satisfaction among females over time. They conclude that this is
points to the gender-job satisfaction gap being a transitory, rather than a permanent phenomenon
in Britain. Similar to Clark’s (1997) as well as Sloane and William’s (2000) findings, Donohue
and Heywood (2004) found no gender job satisfaction gap for young US workers, once again
indicating that specific female labour market groups possess expectation levels similar to those of
their male counterparts .
Souza-Poza and Sousa-Poza (2000) report their findings on an international investigation of
gender differences in job satisfaction of 21 countries using 1997 data7. Only in Great Britain,
New Zealand, USA and Spain were differing levels of job satisfaction by gender statistically
significant, and in Spain, in favour of males. Souza-Poza and Sousa-Poza stated that their finding
points to an ‘Anglo-Saxon paradox’ where females are more satisfied with work compared to
males. However, a survey into gender job satisfaction differences across 14 member states of the
European Union (Kaiser 2005) showed females to have higher levels of job satisfaction in 10
countries, suggesting that higher satisfaction levels among females might not be an ‘Anglo-Saxon
6
Also using British data, though a different dataset.
These countries are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Denmark, France, Great
Britain, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
7
paradox’ after all8. Equal employment opportunities, appropriate child day care and tax and social
security system are the reason given by Kaiser (2005) for no gender job satisfaction difference in
the above-mentioned three countries.
Long (2005) used cross-sectional 2001 Australian data to investigate gender differences in job
satisfaction. Both her statistical and econometric (ordered probit) analysis suggests that females
are more satisfied at work compared to males. However, as most the majority of studies cited
above, this gender-job satisfaction gap disappears for younger females and also those with higher
levels of education.
3.0
Data, Hypotheses and Preliminary Evidence
3.1
Data
Data is obtained from the first four waves (2001-2004) of the Household, Income and Labour
Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) panel dataset. Designed to be consistent with the British
Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP), it is a
household-based panel study that collects information pertaining to economic, family labour
market dynamics. For the purposes of this paper, we utilise the individual person dataset across
the four waves. This provides an initial sample of 52146 individuals (52.51% female; 47.49%
male)9. Of this sample 26414 or 50.65% are employed10. After checking for inconsistencies in the
data, removing individuals with incomplete answers and restricting the sample to those of labour
8
Countries with females’ higher job satisfaction are Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg and Spain. In Portugal satisfaction was higher for males with no
significant gender differences in Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands.
9
Includes multiple counting of individuals tracked through the different years (waves) and new individuals
included to account for attrition. In wave 1 (2001) 13969 individual observations are available. In
subsequent years the number of observations are 13041 (2002), 12728 (2003) and 12408 (2004).
10
This excludes those employed in family businesses and those who are self-employed.
force age (16-64) we end up with 38388 observations, with roughly the same gender ratio
(52.21% female; 47.79% male). Of these numbers, 18980 are employed, with slightly more males
(51.96%) than females (48.04%).
The HILDA dataset provides a rich source of information on labour market participation,
outcome and performance. There is information on firm size, union membership, occupation and
industry type, qualification levels attained, and of particular interest to this paper, workplace
satisfaction measures. Appendix Table A1 provides a complete list of variables and definitions
used in this study. Unfortunately, the role of expectations cannot be studied in this paper as the
questions pertaining to expectations are only asked in wave 1 of the study, and dropped thereafter.
Six measures of workplace satisfaction are available in the HILDA dataset. The various measures
are overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with job security, satisfaction with
hours of work, satisfaction with (type of) work and satisfaction with the flexibility to balance
work and non-work commitments (job flexibility)11. Respondents are asked to choose a number
between 0 and 10 to indicate their levels of satisfaction with the six measures of workplace
satisfaction. These questions are reproduced for every new wave.
3.1
Hypotheses
Following Clark (1997) we hypothesise that females in general will exhibit greater levels of
workplace satisfaction compared to males. This is due to findings from previous studies,
especially that of Long (2005), who used the first wave of the HILDA dataset. We argue that this
is due to females having lower expectations due to previous cultural reasons constraining female
11
The workplace satisfaction questions given to respondents in wave 1 (2001) is reproduced as Appendix
A2.
participation in the workforce, and that the Australian occupational structure is gender
segregated12. We assume from previous findings that females in male dominated occupations will
have higher expectations than females in female dominated occupations but given that most
employed females are in female dominated occupations, this will lead to females in general
possessing lower expectations and hence, higher levels of workplace satisfaction.
As well, we posit that the association with workplace satisfaction and both non-labour and labour
market characteristics will differ by gender. Despite limited evidence in support of this
hypothesis, we anticipate that our panel dataset will account for unobserved heterogeneity and
better control for ‘white noise,’ which in turn will better predict the true associations between
personal characteristics and workplace satisfaction.
Clark (1997) found no evidence of sample selection bias of females into the labour market, a
finding strengthened by Long’s (2005) statistical analysis of Australian females. On the basis of
these findings, we also anticipate that there will be no evidence of female self selecting into the
labour market. Lastly, we expect a very limited association between female job satisfaction with
time effects, unlike the finding from Sousa-Poza and Sousa-Poza (2003) as this panel dataset only
stretches over four years.
3.2
Preliminary Results
[INSERT TABLE 1]
12
Summary statistics in Table 1 (see Section 3.2) confirm the existence of gender based occupational
segregation
The means and standard deviations of the explanatory variables by gender are presented in Table
113. Despite being of similar age, we find that employed females have a different labour force
participation history compared to males. They have less tenure with respect to both occupation
and employer, and have less experience. As well, they have spent almost five times more years
out of the labour force, suggesting that females might be more likely to have experienced
interrupted labour force participation in the past. Part-time employment is predominantly female
dominated and a fourth of females are casuals compared to a sixth of males. Females are also less
likely to be in supervisory roles.
Apart from associate professional and labour work, we witness clear gender separation by
occupation. Segregation by industry is also apparent. The occupation and industry segmentation
can be partially explained by education levels attained; males are far more likely to hold
certificate type qualifications that lead to trade, manufacturing and construction work. Thus, the
statistical results presented here suggests that our study of job satisfaction should be gender
sensitive
[INSERT TABLE 2]
Table 2 reports the average (mean) workplace satisfaction score by gender and wave (year).
Looking at the average for all the years (2001-2004), we note that females have higher levels of
workplace satisfaction with the exception of satisfaction with pay, and even then the difference is
minute. The difference between genders is large for overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with job
security, satisfaction with hours worked and satisfaction with job flexibility. However, we also
note that males close the gap on the difference in satisfaction levels between the first and fourth
waves, indicating perhaps that females in employment are raising their expectation levels over
13
A corresponding table by gender including those not employed is presented as Appendix Table A3.
time and are thus behaving more like males with respect to their expectations at work.
Nevertheless we note that this is due more to the fact that males are increasing their levels of
satisfaction rather than females facing a decreasing level of satisfaction over time.
[INSERT TABLE 3]
Looking at overall job satisfaction specifically (Table 314), we can see that ‘happy’ females as a
percentage of employed females remains stagnant, and actually slightly decreases between 2001
and 2004, while for males, the proportion of ‘happy’ males rises steadily over the years.
Following and consistent with Long (2005), we report that there is very little gender difference
with respect to those indicating lower (5 or less) overall job satisfaction. This is conditional
evidence of an absence of female self-selection into employment15. Put together, statistical results
in tables 1 - 3 indicate the need to account for genders when investigating the issue of workplace
satisfaction.
4.0
Econometric Methodology
In accordance with Clarke and Oswald (1996), an individual’s utility (satisfaction) from working
is nested in the total utility function. An overall utility function (or an overall life satisfaction) can
be expressed as:
v = v(u, µ),
14
(1)
We define those answering with a number 8 or higher as being ‘happy’ because for females 4 out of the 6
satisfaction measure have a mean score lying between 7 and 8. For males, this is the case for 5 out of the 6
satisfaction measures.
15
The ordered probit models utilised in the econometric investigation in Section 5 is unable to control for
sample selection bias.
where v is overall utility, u is utility from work and µ is utility from other aspects of life (e.g.,
leisure time, family time). As a type of sub-utility function utility from work can be written as
follows:
v = v(u(y, h, i, j), µ),
(2)
where y is income, h is hours of work, i and j are individual and job specific characteristics
respectively. From the above expression, the utility of working is then considered to be of the
form:
u = u(y, h, i, j)
(3)
Similar to the argument that job satisfaction relating specifically to pay may depend not only on
worker’s own income but also on relative or comparative income, the notion of overall job
satisfaction can be partly determined by relative arguments. This implies that the above model
should capture the effect of a general relative utility and thus the complete model of utility from
work can be expressed as:
u = u(y, h, i, j, E),
(4)
where E is a vector of comparison level that applies to all independent variables included in the
model. It is a vector of variables that capture an individual’s expectations. As stated by Clark
(1997), E may come from observation of others, from one’s own experience in the past or from
one’s feelings of what one should receive.
To analyse our six measures of workplace satisfaction we use random effects ordered probit
models. The econometric model of job satisfaction has the general form:
y * = xβ + u
(5)
where y * is a latent variable indicating the unobservable level of workplace satisfaction of the
employees, x is a matrix containing individual socio-demographic characteristics, family and
household characteristics, work related factors, information on working conditions, geographical
locations and other control variables, β is a parameter vector and u is the error term. The
individual workplace satisfaction cannot be observed instead a categorical but ordered random
variable y is estimated as a function of the explanatory variables and a set of cut-off points z i .
The conditional probability of a given observation can be expressed as:
Pr( y = i / x) = Pr( z i −1 ≤ xβ + u < z i )
=
Pr( z i −1 ≤ y * + u < z i )
(6)
where i in our case is the average workplace satisfaction scores that range between 0 and 10.
By rearranging the above terms can be written as:
Pr( y = i / x) = Pr( z i −1 − xβ ≤ u < z i − xβ )
= Pr(u < z i − xβ ) - Pr(u ≤ z i −1 − xβ )
=
Φ (u < z i − xβ ) - Φ (u ≤ z i −1 − xβ )
(7)
where Φ (.) is the standard cumulative distribution function.
The probability of an employee choosing a workplace satisfaction level of i given the
explanatory variables ( x ) is the difference between the cumulative normal distribution function
valued at a cut-off points for i ( z i ) minus the vector of explanatory variables multiplied by their
respective coefficients, and cumulative normal distribution function valued at a preceding cut-off
point ( z i −1 ) minus all the included explanatory variables multiplied by their respective
coefficients.
5.0
Econometric Results
[INSERT TABLE 4]
Table 4 presents results of ordered probit estimations on the six workplace satisfaction measures
with a gender dummy. We find that the ordered probit results confirm the initial findings in
Section 3; namely that females are more satisfied at work than males. As with the results in Table
2, females are more satisfied than males with five of the six measures. Unlike Table 2 however,
we now report that females are also more satisfied than males with pay, but are now no more
satisfied with job flexibility as compared to males.
Briefly noting other results, we find some evidence of changing levels of satisfaction over time.
Those married or living in de facto relationships appear to be more satisfied than those not
cohabitating while those with long-term health problems are less satisfied with all types of
workplace satisfaction measures compared to healthier employees. NESB immigrants also appear
to be less satisfied at work. Evidence of possible relationships between tenure and labour force
participation history with workplace satisfaction is mixed. Overtime and casual work significantly
affects satisfaction as do most workplace characteristics.
[INSERT TABLE 5a]
Table 5a reports workplace satisfaction among female employees. As in Table 4, we find mixed
evidence of the role of time on satisfaction. Female employees seem to be less satisfied with
overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with (type of) work, satisfaction with hours worked and to a
certain extent, satisfaction with job flexibility in 2004 compared to 2001. They are however,
happier with satisfaction with pay and job security compared to 2001. Marital status increases
satisfaction in 3 out of the 6 measures investigated, and poor health decreases satisfaction across
the board with the exception of satisfaction with job security. Female NESB immigrants are also
largely dissatisfied at work.
As expected, tenure with employer is positively associated with satisfaction with job security,
though tenure in occupation is insignificant. Working experience is surprisingly largely
insignificant, though unemployment spells reduces satisfaction in 4 out of the 6 measures
investigated. With the exception of satisfaction with (type of) work, higher wages are positively
correlated with higher satisfaction levels. Casuals are more satisfied with pay, but less satisfied
with job security. Union membership is associated with lower levels of satisfaction (bar
satisfaction with job security).
[INSERT TABLE 5b]
Table 5b investigates the factors underlying workplace satisfaction among male employees. We
report higher levels of satisfaction with job security over time with pay and job security, with
little time effects evident across the other satisfaction measures. Those in poor health are
generally more dissatisfied as are ESB immigrants. Employed male Indigenous Australians, on
the other hand are more satisfied than non-Indigenous Australian born residents with respect to
overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with (type of) work and job flexibility.
Tenure with occupation and experience both exhibit a U-shaped pattern indicating first, falling
levels of satisfaction but eventually greater levels of satisfaction with both tenure and
occupation16. Bar satisfaction with pay, casuals are less satisfied than those on permanent
contracts while higher wages are associated with higher levels of satisfaction in 4 of the 6
measures.
5.1
Comparing Results by Gender
This sub-section will investigate both similarities and differences in the six aspects of workplace
satisfaction by gender. These similarities and differences have been summarised in Table 6.
[INSERT TABLE 6]
5.1.1
Overall Job Satisfaction
Looking first at time effects, we find that compared to 2001 and 2003, females in 2004 are less
satisfied with overall job satisfaction suggesting a possible role for increased workplace
expectations. No such trend is found for males. Non-labour market personal characteristics have
similar associations with satisfaction irrespective of gender though ESB and NESB immigrants
16
This could be related to age. The continuous age variable was dropped because it was highly correlated
with years worked (0.81).
have different outcomes by gender. However, four of the five labour market personal
characteristics form different associations with satisfaction by gender. We note that only years
unemployed is insignificantly associated with overall job satisfaction for males, while all other
labour market characteristics are negatively associated with overall job satisfaction17. For females
however, only tenure with current employer and years unemployed have a negative association
with satisfaction18. Type of work and hours of work are largely similar with the exception of
casual work and we also find that union membership and supervisory roles are negatively
associated with overall job satisfaction only for females.
5.1.2
Satisfaction with Pay
Unlike overall job satisfaction we do find that both genders are increasingly becoming more
satisfied with their pay over time. As well, in comparison with overall job satisfaction, non-labour
market personal characteristics do exhibit gender differences. For females, only indigenous
Australians form no significant association with pay satisfaction while for males, only ESB
immigrants form a significant (and negative) associated with pay satisfaction. Labour market
personal characteristics play no significant part in determining satisfaction for females while
years worked and years out of the labour force reduce males’ initial satisfaction with pay (Ushaped patterns). Not surprisingly, overtime and casual work and higher hourly wages are
positively associated with higher levels of pay satisfaction19. Part-time work is negatively
associated with pay satisfaction for females only while workplace characteristics are not
associated with pay satisfaction for males but do so for females.
17
All bar tenure with current employer exhibit U-shaped patterns indicating falling, then rising levels of
satisfaction.
18
Both U-shaped.
19
Casual work in Australia attracts a ‘premium’ to offset the lack of non-pecuniary benefits such as annual
and sick leave.
5.1.3
Satisfaction with Job Security
We witness evidence of time effects with rising levels of job security over time for both genders.
Non-labour market personal characteristics exhibit gender differences with only NESB
immigrants of both genders forming negative associations with satisfaction with job security.
Labour market personal characteristics are however, similar between the genders20. As expected,
casual work is negatively associated with job security satisfaction. Working in excess of 40 hours
a week increases satisfaction with job security only for males while higher hourly wages only
increase satisfaction for females. Workplace characteristics play a stronger role for males in
forming associations with job security though for both genders, working in small firms and
having supervisory roles improve satisfaction with job security.
5.1.4
Satisfaction with (Type of) Work
Satisfaction with (type of) work has little significant time-effect with only those in 2001 being
more satisfied. Two of the five non-labour market personal characteristics differ with cohabitating
and indigenous Australia males being more satisfied while their female counterparts form no
significant association with work satisfaction. As with satisfaction with pay, female labour market
personal characteristics are not significantly associated with satisfaction. For males, tenure in
current occupation and years out of the labour force reduces the levels of satisfaction (at a
decreasing rate). As with labour market personal characteristics, type of work and hours of work
also do not affect females’ satisfaction with (type of) work, though overtime and casual work
affects males’ satisfaction with (type of) work. With the exception of working for small firms,
workplace characteristics exhibit gender differences.
20
For males however, there is no U-shaped pattern evident suggesting past experience looking for work has
a stronger negative impact compared to females where longer spells of unemployment eventually lead to
greater levels of satisfaction with job security.
5.1.5
Satisfaction with Hours Worked
Little evidence of time effects influencing satisfaction with hours worked can be seen, with only
females in 2001 being more satisfied compared to females in 2004. Consistent with satisfaction
with pay, job security and (type of) work, we find gender differences in non-labour market
personal personal characteristics. Only cohabitating females are more satisfied with their working
hours while both immigrant groups form different associations with satisfaction by gender. The
relationship between satisfaction with hours worked and labour market personal characteristics
also show some gender divergence. In particular we note that tenure in current occupation and
years worked reduces only males’ satisfaction with hours worked (at a decreasing rate). On the
other hand, a U-shaped pattern is evident only for females when associating years unemployed
with satisfaction with hours worked. Type of work and hours of work results show similarity by
gender with the exception of part-time work where we report that males are less satisfied while
females are more satisfied with hours worked. This tends to suggest that males in part-time
employment are seeking full-time work while females in similar positions are happy to remain in
such positions21.
5.1.6
Satisfaction with Job Flexibility
As with satisfaction with (type of) work and hours, there is little evidence of time effects on
satisfaction with job flexibility. Once again, both non-labour market and labour market personal
characteristics exhibit gender differences. The relationship between satisfaction with job
21
Summary statistics in table 1 shows that only 9% of males are in part-time work while 43% of females
are in a similar position. This also suggests that part-time work is viewed ‘negatively’ by males while for
females (especially those juggling work and family commitments) reduced working hours can be seen in a
positive light.
flexibility and type of work and hours of work are largely similar for both genders.
Unsurprisingly, we find that those in part-time employment are more satisfied with job flexibility
with the opposite being true for those working greater than the normal work week. Casual work is
however only positively associated with job flexibility for females. Workplace characteristics also
remain largely gender neutral when associated with satisfaction with job flexibility with the
exception of supervisory roles, where females form a negative association.
5.1.7
Sectional Summary
The analysis of gender differences with respect to the various measures of workplace satisfaction
clearly indicate that at times, both females and males form different associations with satisfaction.
However, a number of similarities do exist. For example, with the exception of overall job
satisfaction, time effects are largely gender neutral, with a slightly stronger correlation for
females. Part-time, overtime and higher wages also form associations with the various measures
of workplace satisfaction in a gender neutral manner, as does working for small firms.
The relationship between personal characteristics and satisfaction are gender-specific however,
especially with labor market characteristics22. Results suggest that labour market personal
characteristics for a stronger association with satisfaction for males. Given that males have more
experience in the labour market (see Table 1) this is not a surprising result. Gender differences
between casual work and satisfaction is also apparent in some of the results, indicating that casual
work is viewed differently according to one’s gender. Unionised females are however less
satisfied than their non-unionised counterparts; a finding less apparent between unionised and
non-unionised males. As well, females in supervisory roles are less satisfied than those they
supervise. This is not apparent for males.
22
With the exception of satisfaction with job security.
6.0
Conclusion and Summary
Using a panel dataset that allows us to control for unobserved heterogeneity and track individuals
over time, we have investigated gender differences in job satisfaction in Australia over a four year
period. Consistent with our expectations, females enjoy higher levels of workplace satisfaction
compared to males with the exception of satisfaction with job flexibility. We suspect this is due to
their lower expectations, but the dataset is unable to study this matter further. As well, we found
no preliminary evidence of females self-selecting into employment, suggesting that gender
differences with respect to workplace satisfaction is largely due to differing characteristics
between males and females rather than within female groups themselves. Time effects were
largely gender neutral, negating our hypotheses that female workplace satisfaction will show
limited evidence of falling over time as their expectation levels rise.
We can however report the existence of gender differences in labour market personal
characteristics, suggesting that past labour market activities lead to differing associations with
workplace satisfaction based on gender. There is also evidence of gender differences with respect
to some workplace characteristics such as union membership and difference in type of work,
especially casual work.
Overall, this paper has shown that gender differences in workplace satisfaction in Australia is
evident and requires further investigation. In particular, the role of expectations needs to be
incorporated into further analysis on this issue given the prominent role it plays in forming
hypotheses regarding gender differences with respect to workplace satisfaction. As well, an
econometric evaluation of female self-selection is required (as opposed to our statistical
observation) in order to strengthen results. At the moment however, this will require abandoning
the ordered probit model for a probit model that can handle for sample selection bias, and thus
trade off any potential loss of information for further information on self-selection bias23.
7.0
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23
In preliminary results undertaken so far, we found that when we define ‘satisfied’ by those answering
between 6 and 10 (and giving a value of 1) and ‘dissatisfied as those answering less than six (and giving a
value of 0) and running probit models, results are very different from those reported in Section 5. However,
when the satisfaction cut-off is restricted to those answering between 8 to 10, results produce are much
more similar with that found in Section 5.
Sousa-Poza, A. and Sousa-Poza, A.A. (2003), ‘Gender differences in job satisfaction
Great Britain, 1991-2000: Permanent or Transitory?’, Applied Economic Letters,
10, 691-694.
Table 1 Descriptive Statistics By Gender – Employed Only
Variables
Mean
Personal Characteristics
Age (between 16 – 64)
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
Non-Indigenous ABRs
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Employer
Years Worked
Years Unemployed
Years out of the Labour Force
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Full-time (35 hours or more a week)
Part-Time
Overtime (40 hours or more a week)
Casual
Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm (employs less than 20 people)
Medium Sized Firm (employs between 20-99)
Large Firm (employs 100 or more)
Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Occupation (2 Digit ASCO Codes)
Managerial
Professional
Associate Professional
Trade Work
Advanced Services
Intermediate Services
Intermediate Production
Elementary Work
Labour Work
Industry (2 Digit ANZSIC Codes)
Agriculture
Mining
Manufacturing
Power
Construction
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Retail Services
Transport
Communication Services
Finance & Insurance
Business Services
Government
Education
Female
Std. Dev.
Mean
Male
Std. Dev.
38.78
0.67
0.13
0.77
0.02
0.10
0.11
8.31
5.95
17.38
0.37
4.24
11.11
0.47
0.34
0.42
0.12
0.31
0.31
8.69
6.75
10.21
1.18
5.59
38.26
0.70
0.14
0.77
0.01
0.11
0.11
9.55
7.08
20.05
0.55
0.90
11.37
0.46
0.35
0.42
0.12
0.31
0.31
9.55
8.23
11.88
1.38
2.02
0.57
0.43
0.20
0.24
18.14
0.50
0.50
0.40
0.43
7.53
0.91
0.09
0.51
0.15
20.95
0.28
0.28
0.50
0.36
10.18
0.37
0.33
0.32
0.31
0.45
0.48
0.47
0.47
0.47
0.50
0.35
0.31
0.34
0.34
0.56
0.48
0.46
0.47
0.47
0.50
0.04
0.29
0.13
0.02
0.06
0.27
0.02
0.10
0.07
0.20
0.45
0.33
0.15
0.24
0.44
0.14
0.30
0.25
0.09
0.20
0.13
0.18
0.01
0.10
0.14
0.05
0.09
0.29
0.40
0.34
0.39
0.09
0.30
0.35
0.22
0.29
0.01
0.00
0.07
0.00
0.01
0.03
0.12
0.05
0.02
0.02
0.05
0.11
0.06
0.17
0.10
0.06
0.25
0.05
0.09
0.17
0.32
0.22
0.14
0.13
0.21
0.31
0.23
0.37
0.03
0.03
0.19
0.02
0.04
0.05
0.09
0.03
0.06
0.03
0.03
0.10
0.07
0.06
0.18
0.17
0.39
0.13
0.21
0.22
0.29
0.18
0.23
0.18
0.18
0.29
0.26
0.24
Health Services
Cultural Services
Personal Services
Geographical Location
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Education
Masters & Ph. D
Post-graduate Diploma & Certificate
Degree
Diploma
Certificate
Year 12
Year 11 or less
Observations
0.22
0.02
0.04
0.42
0.15
0.19
0.04
0.03
0.04
0.20
0.16
0.19
0.30
0.25
0.21
0.09
0.09
0.03
0.01
0.02
0.46
0.43
0.41
0.28
0.29
0.17
0.09
0.14
0.29
0.24
0.22
0.09
0.10
0.03
0.01
0.02
0.46
0.43
0.41
0.29
0.30
0.16
0.09
0.15
0.03
0.08
0.18
0.10
0.14
0.16
0.29
0.18
0.27
0.39
0.30
0.35
0.37
0.45
0.04
0.05
0.15
0.09
0.29
0.14
0.24
0.20
0.22
0.36
0.28
0.46
0.35
0.43
9118
9862
Table 2: Average Workplace Satisfaction Scores By Gender (2001-2004)
Overall
2001
Female
Male
Difference
2002
Female
Male
Difference
2003
Female
Male
Difference
2004
Female
Male
Difference
2001-2004
Female
Male
Difference
Aspects of Workplace Satisfaction
Pay
Job Sec.
Work
Hours
Flex.
7.77
7.44
0.33
6.76
6.82
-0.06
7.95
7.64
0.31
7.67
7.56
0.11
7.36
7.06
0.30
7.48
7.13
0.35
7.65
7.48
0.17
6.76
6.82
-0.06
8.04
7.85
0.19
7.61
7.56
0.05
7.29
7.01
0.28
7.35
7.12
0.23
7.72
7.51
0.21
6.86
6.98
-0.12
8.14
7.91
0.23
7.59
7.54
0.05
7.32
7.09
0.23
7.48
7.22
0.26
7.68
7.53
0.15
6.98
6.98
0
8.13
8.00
0.13
7.59
7.59
0
7.32
7.12
0.20
7.48
7.21
0.27
7.71
7.49
0.22
6.84
6.89
-0.05
8.05
7.85
0.20
7.62
7.56
0.06
7.32
7.07
0.25
7.45
7.17
0.28
Table 3 Percentage Response Breakdown By Wave and Gender For Overall Job
Satisfaction
Score
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
≥8
≤5
Observation
Female
0.49
0.49
1.10
1.83
2.36
6.50
7.15
15.24
25.28
20.53
19.02
64.83
12.77
2460
2001
Male
0.58
0.92
1.38
1.96
2.38
6.76
9.52
20.19
26.53
17.08
12.71
56.32
13.98
2605
Female
0.27
0.62
1.11
1.83
2.32
6.90
7.84
16.75
26.95
20.62
14.79
62.36
13.05
2245
2002
Male
0.48
0.89
1.01
1.62
2.30
6.55
8.44
21.29
27.84
19.43
10.14
57.41
12.85
2475
Female
0.49
0.27
0.98
1.68
1.60
6.38
7.14
17.15
28.55
22.16
13.61
64.32
11.40
2256
2003
Male
0.29
0.57
1.34
1.67
2.28
6.23
8.68
19.32
31.17
18.66
9.78
59.61
10.38
2454
Female
0.28
0.51
0.93
1.30
1.90
6.82
7.32
17.99
29.58
20.68
12.70
62.96
11.74
2157
2004
Male
0.17
0.39
1.03
1.85
2.45
6.14
7.47
21.43
31.10
18.81
9.15
59.06
12.03
2328
Table 4: Ordered Probit Regression Results For Various Measures of Workplace Satisfaction With Gender Dummy
Overall
Interview Years
2001
2002
2003
Personal Characteristics
Female
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Occupation Squared*100
Tenure – Current Employer
Tenure – Current Employer Squared*100
Years Worked
Years Worked Squared*100
Years Unemployed
Years Unemployed Squared*100
Years out of the Labour Force
Years out of the Labour Force Squared*100
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Part-Time
Overtime (40 hours or more a week)
Casual
Log of Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm (employs less than 20 people)
Medium Sized Firm (employs between 20-99)
Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Observations
Log-Likelihood
Pay
Job Sec.
Work
Hours
Flex.
0.09*** (0.02)
0.02 (0.02)
0.04* (0.02)
-0.07*** (0.02)
-0.11*** (0.02)
-0.03 (0.02)
-0.14*** (0.02)
-0.09*** (0.02)
-0.05** (0.02)
0.11*** (0.02)
0.03 (0.02)
0.01 (0.02)
0.06** (0.02)
-0.00 (0.02)
0.01 (0.02)
0.05** (0.02)
-0.03 (0.02)
0.02 (0.02)
0.20*** (0.04)
0.06** (0.03)
-0.14*** (0.03)
0.40*** (0.11)
-0.08* (0.05)
-0.11** (0.05)
-0.02*** (0.00)
0.05*** (0.01)
-0.01** (0.01)
0.03* (0.02)
-0.01 (0.00)
0.04*** (0.01)
-0.03** (0.02)
0.17 (0.15)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.1*** (0.04)
0.25*** (0.04)
0.06** (0.03)
-0.09*** (0.03)
-0.04 (0.11)
-0.18*** (0.05)
-0.16***(0.05)
-0.00 (0.00)
0.00 (0.01)
0.00 (0.01)
0.00 (0.02)
-0.02*** (0.00)
0.07*** (0.01)
-0.05*** (0.02)
0.11 (0.14)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.10*** (0.04)
0.20*** (0.04)
0.06** (0.03)
-0.09*** (0.03)
-0.06 (0.11)
-0.11** (0.05)
-0.21*** (0.05)
0.00 (0.00)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.03*** (0.01)
-0.07*** (0.02)
-0.03*** (0.00)
0.05*** (0.01)
-0.09*** (0.02)
0.32** (0.15)
-0.00 (0.01)
-0.01 (0.04)
0.09*** (0.04)
0.10*** (0.03)
-0.13*** (0.03)
0.33*** (0.11)
-0.05 (0.05)
0.03 (0.05)
-0.02*** (0.00)
0.04*** (0.01)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.00 (0.02)
0.00 (0.48)
0.03** (0.01)
0.00 (0.02)
-0.14 (0.14)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.07** (0.04)
0.07** (0.03)
0.06** (0.03)
-0.11*** (0.03)
0.01 (0.10)
-0.06 (0.04)
-0.14***(0.04)
-0.01*** (0.00)
0.03*** (0.01)
-0.00 (0.00)
0.01 (0.02)
-0.01** (0.00)
0.04*** (0.01)
-0.08*** (0.02)
0.43*** (0.14)
0.01 (0.01)
0.02 (0.03)
-0.03 (0.04)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.08*** (0.03)
0.06 (0.11)
-0.02 (0.05)
-0.18*** (0.05)
-0.01** (0.00)
0.02* (0.01)
0.01** (0.01)
-0.04** (0.02)
-0.00 (0.00)
0.02** (0.01)
-0.06*** (0.02)
0.32** (0.14)
0.00 (0.01)
0.02 (0.04)
0.02 (0.03)
-0.01 (0.03)
-0.07** (0.03)
0.28*** (0.04)
-0.08** (0.03)
0.18*** (0.03)
0.23*** (0.03)
1.02*** (0.04)
0.05 (0.03)
0.11*** (0.03)
-0.55*** (0.03)
0.04 (0.04)
-0.02 (0.03)
0.10*** (0.03)
-0.05 (0.03)
0.02 (0.04)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.56*** (0.03)
-0.15*** (0.03)
0.27*** (0.03)
0.41*** (0.03)
-0.28*** (0.03)
0.05 (0.03)
0.11 (0.03)
0.14*** (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)
-0.11*** (0.03)
-0.02 (0.02)
0.06** (0.03)
-0.05* (0.03)
-0.05* (0.03)
-0.06*** (0.02)
0.14*** (0.03)
0.04 (0.03)
-0.10*** (0.03)
0.20*** (0.02)
0.17*** (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.07** (0.03)
0.04* (0.02)
0.17*** (0.03)
0.05* (0.03)
-0.07*** (0.03)
-0.11*** (0.02)
0.12*** (0.03)
-0.00 (0.03)
-0.23*** (0.03)
-0.06*** (0.02)
18980
-33743.25
18980
-37053.41
18980
-33630.29
18980
-34710.18
18980
-37217.81
18980
-37523.13
***, ** and * denote 1, 5 and 10% levels of significance. Standard errors are in parentheses. Omitted categories are interview year 2004, male, non-cohabitating,
no long-term health problems, non-indigenous Australian Born Resident, working full-time, employed at a large firm, non-union member and has no supervisory
responsibilities. Other variables not shown for brevity include variables controlling for occupation, industry and level of highest qualification attained.
Table 5a: Ordered Probit Regression Results For Various Measures of Workplace Satisfaction: Female Employees
Overall
Interview Years
2001
2002
2003
Personal Characteristics
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Occupation Squared*100
Tenure – Current Employer
Tenure – Current Employer Squared*100
Years Worked
Years Worked Squared*100
Years Unemployed
Years Unemployed Squared*100
Years out of the Labour Force
Years out of the Labour Force Squared*100
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Part-Time
Overtime (40 hours or more a week)
Casual
Log of Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm (employs less than 20 people)
Medium Sized Firm (employs between 20-99)
Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Observations
Log-Likelihood
Pay
Job Sec.
Work
Hours
Flex.
0.15*** (0.03)
0.01 (0.03)
0.07** (0.03)
-0.08** (0.03)
-0.13*** (0.03)
-0.06* (0.03)
-0.11*** (0.04)
-0.10*** (0.04)
-0.04 (0.04)
0.13*** (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)
0.09** (0.03)
0.01 (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)
0.06* (0.03)
-0.05 (0.03)
0.01 (0.03)
0.06 (0.04)
-0.18*** (0.04)
0.29* (0.16)
-0.04 (0.07)
-0.14** (0.06)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.02 (0.02)
-0.02* (0.01)
0.06** (0.03)
0.00 (0.01)
0.02 (0.02)
-0.08** (0.03)
0.85*** (0.30)
0.00 (0.01)
0.06 (0.04)
0.13*** (0.04)
-0.10** (0.04)
-0.03 (0.16)
-0.22*** (0.07)
-0.21*** (0.07)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
0.00 (0.01)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.04** (0.02)
-0.05 (0.03)
0.23 (0.28)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.09** (0.04)
0.07* (0.04)
-0.08 (0.05)
-0.17 (0.16)
-0.10 (0.07)
-0.29*** (0.07)
0.01 (0.01)
-0.01 (0.02)
0.04*** (0.01)
-0.08** (0.03)
-0.02*** (0.01)
0.03 (0.02)
-0.13*** (0.03)
0.57** (0.28)
-0.00 (0.01)
-0.01 (0.04)
0.05 (0.04)
-0.14*** (0.05)
0.12 (0.15)
-0.02 (0.07)
-0.01 (0.07)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.04 (0.03)
0.01 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
-0.03 (0.03)
0.34 (0.28)
0.00 (0.01)
0.04 (0.04)
0.08** (0.04)
-0.12*** (0.04)
0.08 (0.14)
-0.01 (0.06)
-0.17*** (0.06)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.02 (0.02)
0.00 (0.01)
0.02 (0.03)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
-0.15*** (0.03)
1.15*** (0.28)
0.01 (0.01)
0.01 (0.04)
0.04 (0.04)
-0.11** (0.05)
-0.15 (0.15)
-0.02 (0.07)
-0.24*** (0.06)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
0.02** (0.01)
-0.05* (0.03)
0.01 (0.01)
-0.01 (0.02)
-0.07** (0.03)
0.65** (0.28)
0.00 (0.01)
0.02 (0.04)
0.01 (0.04)
-0.03 (0.04)
0.03 (0.04)
0.34*** (0.05)
-0.14*** (0.04)
0.08* (0.04)
0.32*** (0.04)
0.94*** (0.05)
-0.00 (0.04)
0.05 (0.04)
-0.43*** (0.05)
0.16*** (0.05)
-0.04 (0.04)
0.07 (0.04)
-0.02 (0.04)
-0.01 (0.05)
0.19*** (0.04)
-0.53*** (0.04)
-0.15*** (0.04)
0.22*** (0.05)
0.45*** (0.04)
-0.24*** (0.04)
0.13*** (0.04)
0.11** (0.05)
0.16*** (0.04)
0.04 (0.04)
-0.16*** (0.04)
-0.06* (0.03)
0.12*** (0.04)
-0.07* (0.04)
-0.07* (0.04)
-0.09*** (0.03)
0.14*** (0.04)
0.03 (0.04)
-0.06 (0.04)
0.18*** (0.03)
0.23*** (0.04)
0.07* (0.04)
-0.12*** (0.04)
-0.01 (0.03)
0.20*** (0.04)
0.08** (0.04)
-0.13*** (0.04)
-0.09*** (0.03)
0.09** (0.04)
0.02 (0.04)
-0.25*** (0.04)
-0.08** (0.03)
9118
-16176.77
9118
-18151.46
9118
-15881.02
9118
-16810.31
9118
-17862.51
9118
-17668.68
***, ** and * denote 1, 5 and 10% levels of significance. Standard errors are in parentheses. Omitted categories are non-cohabitating, no long-term health
problems, non-indigenous Australian Born Resident, working full-time, employed at a large firm, non-union member and has no supervisory responsibilities.
Other variables not shown for brevity include variables controlling for occupation, industry and level of highest qualification attained.
Table 5b: Ordered Probit Regression Results For Various Measures of Workplace Satisfaction: Male Employees
Overall
Interview Years
2001
2002
2003
Personal Characteristics
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Occupation Squared*100
Tenure – Current Employer
Tenure – Current Employer Squared*100
Years Worked
Years Worked Squared*100
Years Unemployed
Years Unemployed Squared*100
Years out of the Labour Force
Years out of the Labour Force Squared*100
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Part-Time
Overtime (40 hours or more a week)
Casual
Log of Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm (employs less than 20 people)
Medium Sized Firm (employs between 20-99)
Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Observations
Log-Likelihood
Pay
Job Sec.
Work
Hours
Flex.
0.03 (0.03)
0.04 (0.03)
0.01 (0.03)
-0.06* (0.03)
-0.08*** (0.03)
0.00 (0.03)
-0.17*** (0.03)
-0.09*** (0.03)
-0.06* (0.03)
0.09*** (0.03)
0.04 (0.03)
0.00 (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.01 (0.03)
-0.00 (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)
-0.01 (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)
0.04 (0.04)
-0.08* (0.04)
0.55*** (0.17)
-0.12* (0.07)
-0.06 (0.07)
-0.03*** (0.01)
0.08*** (0.02)
-0.02** (0.01)
0.03 (0.02)
-0.01** (0.01)
0.07*** (0.01)
-0.00 (0.02)
-0.14 (0.17)
-0.07*** (0.02)
0.52*** (0.17)
-0.05 (0.04)
-0.06 (0.04)
-0.02 (0.15)
-0.15** (0.06)
-0.10 (0.06)
-0.00 (0.01)
0.00 (0.02)
0.00 (0.01)
-0.00 (0.02)
-0.04*** (0.01)
0.10*** (0.01)
-0.03 (0.02)
-0.03 (0.17)
-0.04** (0.02)
0.22* (0.13)
0.05 (0.04)
-0.10** (0.04)
0.04 (0.16)
-0.15** (0.07)
-0.12* (0.07)
0.00 (0.01)
0.00 (0.02)
0.03*** (0.01)
-0.06*** (0.02)
-0.04*** (0.01)
0.08*** (0.01)
-0.06*** (0.02)
0.17 (0.17)
-0.00 (0.02)
-0.03 (0.13)
0.16*** (0.04)
-0.12*** (0.05)
0.59*** (0.16)
-0.06 (0.07)
0.09 (0.07)
-0.03*** (0.01)
0.07*** (0.02)
-0.00 (0.01)
-0.01 (0.02)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.05*** (0.01)
0.02 (0.02)
-0.34* (0.20)
-0.05*** (0.02)
0.34** (0.16)
-0.01 (0.04)
-0.08* (0.04)
-0.00 (0.15)
-0.10* (0.06)
-0.09 (0.06)
-0.02*** (0.01)
0.05*** (0.02)
-0.01 (0.01)
0.01 (0.02)
-0.03*** (0.01)
0.08*** (0.01)
-0.03 (0.02)
0.07 (0.16)
-0.02 (0.02)
0.24* (0.14)
-0.02 (0.04)
-0.05 (0.04)
0.31* (0.16)
-0.02 (0.07)
-0.12* (0.07)
-0.02*** (0.01)
0.04** (0.02)
0.01 (0.01)
-0.03 (0.02)
-0.01* (0.01)
0.05*** (0.01)
-0.06*** (0.02)
0.17 (0.17)
-0.01 (0.02)
0.18 (0.15)
-0.08 (0.06)
0.00 (0.03)
-0.21*** (0.05)
0.23*** (0.05)
-0.06 (0.06)
0.25*** (0.03)
0.10** (0.05)
1.11** (0.05)
0.07 (0.06)
0.16*** (0.03)
-0.70*** (0.05)
-0.04 (0.05)
-0.03 (0.06)
0.12*** (0.03)
-0.10** (0.05)
0.04 (0.05)
-0.48*** (0.06)
-0.61*** (0.03)
-0.13*** (0.05)
0.32*** (0.05)
0.25*** (0.06)
-0.30*** (0.03)
-0.05 (0.05)
0.13*** (0.05)
0.12*** (0.04)
0.00 (0.04)
-0.06 (0.04)
0.02 (0.03)
0.01 (0.04)
-0.02 (0.04)
-0.03 (0.04)
-0.03 (0.03)
0.13*** (0.04)
0.06* (0.04)
-0.13*** (0.04)
0.22*** (0.03)
0.11** (0.04)
-0.02 (0.04)
-0.03 (0.04)
0.08** (0.03)
0.14*** (0.04)
0.01 (0.04)
-0.01 (0.04)
-0.13*** (0.03)
0.14*** (0.04)
-0.02 (0.04)
-0.21*** (0.04)
-0.03 (0.03)
9862
-17454.33
9862
-18751.83
9862
-17675.19
9862
-17803.20
9862
-19187.39
9862
-19781.84
***, ** and * denote 1, 5 and 10% levels of significance. Standard errors are in parentheses. Omitted categories are non-cohabitating, no long-term health
problems, non-indigenous Australian Born Resident, working full-time, employed at a large firm, non-union member and has no supervisory responsibilities.
Other variables not shown for brevity include variables controlling for occupation, industry and level of highest qualification attained.
Table 6: Summary of Tables 5a and 5b
Overall
Female
Male
Interview Years
2001
2002
2003
Personal Characteristics
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Employer
Years Worked
Years Unemployed
Years out of the Labour Force
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Part Time
Overtime
Casual
Log of Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm
Medium Sized Firm
Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Pay
Female
Male
Job Sec.
Female
Male
Work
Female
Male
Hours
Female
Male
Flex.
Female
Male
P
O
P
O
O
O
N
N
N
N
N
O
N
N
O
N
N
N
P
O
O
P
O
O
P
O
O
O
O
O
P
O
O
O
O
O
O
N
P
O
N
O
N
O
N
O
O
N
P
N
O
N
N
N
O
N
P
N
O
N
N
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
N
O
O
O
N
O
N
P
O
O
O
N
O
P
N
N
O
O
N
O
N
N
O
P
N
N
O
O
N
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
P
N
P
O
O
N
O
O
O
N
P
N
O
O
N
O
O
O
P
O
O
N
O
N
O
N
O
N
O
O
O
N
O
O
N
O
P
O
N
O
O
O
P
O
N
N
O
N
N
O
O
O
O
P
O
O
N
P
N
P
P
P
O
P
P
P
O
O
N
P
O
P
N
O
O
O
O
O
O
P
N
O
P
N
N
P
N
N
N
P
P
N
P
P
P
N
O
P
P
O
N
N
P
O
O
O
P
N
N
N
O
O
O
O
P
O
O
P
P
P
N
P
P
P
N
O
P
O
O
P
P
P
N
N
P
O
O
N
P
O
N
N
P
O
N
O
‘P’ denotes that the variable in Table 5 or 6 was positive and significant.
‘N’ denotes that the variable in Table 5 or 6 was negative and significant.
‘O’ denotes that the variable in Table 5 or 6 was insignificant.
Appendix Table A1 Variable List and Definitions
Variables
Personal Characteristics
Non-Cohabitating
Married / de facto
No Long Term Health Problems
Long Term Health Problems
Non-Indigenous ABRs
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Tenure – Current Occupation
Tenure – Current Employer
Years Worked
Years Unemployed
Years out of the Labour Force
Type of Work and Hours of Work
Full-time
Part-Time
Overtime
Casual
Log of Hourly Wage
Workplace Characteristics
Small Firm
Medium Sized Firm
Large Firm
Union Member
Non-Union Member
Has Supervisory Responsibilities
Has No Supervisory Responsibilities
Occupation (2 Digit ASCO Codes)
Managerial
Professional
Associate Professional
Definitions
Individuals not married or living in de facto relationships (omitted case)
Individual is either married or living in a de facto relationship
Individual has no long term health problems (omitted case)
Individual has long-term health problems
Australian Born Resident not of Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander background (omitted case)
Australian Born Resident of Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander background
Immigrant from the UK and Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Immigrant from countries not covered by ‘ESB Immigrant’
Tenure (in years) in current occupation (continuous variable)
Tenure (in years) with current employer (continuous variable)
Years worked since finishing full-time education for the first time (continuous variable)
Years spent looking for work since finishing full-time education for the first time (continuous variable)
Years out of the labour force since finishing full-time education for the first time (continuous variable)
Individual works an average of 35 hours or more (omitted case)
Individual works an average of less than 35 hours a week
Individual works an average of at least 40 hours a week
Individual has no annual and sick leave entitlements
The log of hourly wage (continuous variable)
Individual works for an employer that employs less than 20 people
Individual works for an employer that employs between 20 and 99 people
Individual works for an employer that employs 100 or more people (omitted case)
Individual belongs to a union
Individual does not belong to a union (omitted case)
Individual’s work includes supervising other employees
Individual’s work does not include supervising other employees (omitted case)
Individual is in a managerial level occupation
Individual is in a professional level occupation (omitted case)
Individual is in an associate professional level occupation
Trade Work
Advanced Services
Intermediate Services
Intermediate Production
Elementary Work
Labour Work
Industry (2 Digit ANZSIC Codes)
Agriculture
Mining
Manufacturing
Power
Construction
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Retail Services
Transport
Communication Services
Finance & Insurance
Business Services
Government
Education
Health Services
Cultural Services
Personal Services
Geographical Location
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Education
Masters & Ph. D
Individual is in a trade level occupation
Individual is in an advanced services level occupation
Individual is in an intermediate services level occupation
Individual is in an intermediate production level occupation
Individual is in an elementary level occupation
Individual is in a labour level occupation
Individual works in the agricultural, forestry and fishing industry
Individual works in the mining industry
Individual works in the manufacturing industry
Individual works in the electricity, gas and water supply industry
Individual works in the construction industry
Individual works in the wholesale trade industry
Individual works in the retail trade industry
Individual works in the accommodation, cafes and restaurants industry
Individual works in the transport and storage industry
Individual works in the communication services industry
Individual works in the finance and insurance industry
Individual works in the property and business services industry
Individual works in the government administration and defence industry (omitted case)
Individual works in the education industry
Individual works in the health and community services industry
Individual works in the cultural and recreational services industry
Individual works in the personal and other services industry
Individual resides in New South Wales (omitted case)
Individual resides in Victoria
Individual resides in Queensland
Individual resides in South Australia
Individual resides in Western Australia
Individual resides in Tasmania
Individual resides in the Northern Territory
Individual resides in the Australian Capital Territory
Individual highest qualification level attained – Masters or Doctorate
Post-graduate Diploma & Certificate
Individual highest qualification level attained – Post-Graduate Diploma or Certificate
Degree
Individual highest qualification level attained – Degree
Diploma
Individual highest qualification level attained – Diploma
Certificate
Individual highest qualification level attained – Certificate
Year 12
Individual highest qualification level attained – Completed Year 12 in high school (omitted case)
Year 11 or less
Individual highest qualification level attained – Completed Year 11 or less
Unless otherwise stated, these are dummy, and not continuous variables
Appendix Table A2: Workplace Satisfaction Question in Wave 1 of the HILDA
Person Questionnaire
E36
I now have some questions about how satisfied or dissatisfied
you are with different aspects of your job.
If not currently employed: These questions refer to the most
recent job you were working in the last 7 days.
I am going to read out a list of different aspects of your job and,
using the scale on SHOWCARD 36, I want you to pick a number
between 0 and 10 to indicate how satisfied or dissatisfied you are
with the following aspects of your job. The more satisfied you
are, the higher the number you should pick. The less satisfied
you are, the lower the number.
a
b
c
d
e
f
Your total pay
Your job security
The work itself (what you do)
The hours you work
The flexibility available to balance work
and non-work commitments
All things considered, how satisfied are
you with your job?
Appendix Table A3 Descriptive Statistics By Gender
Variables
Mean
Personal Characteristics
Age (between 16 – 64)
Married / de facto
Long Term Health Problems
Non-Indigenous ABRs
ATSI
ESB Immigrants
NESB Immigrants
Years Worked
Years Unemployed
Years out of the Labour Force
Geographical Location
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Education
Masters & Ph. D
Post-graduate Diploma & Certificate
Degree
Diploma
Certificate
Year 12
Year 11 or less
Observations
Female
Std. Dev.
Mean
Male
Std. Dev.
40.36
0.69
0.20
0.74
0.02
0.10
0.14
15.92
0.51
7.40
12.33
0.46
0.40
0.44
0.15
0.30
0.34
10.94
1.64
9.22
40.47
0.68
0.23
0.75
0.02
0.11
0.13
21.49
0.77
1.61
12.59
0.47
0.42
0.44
0.13
0.31
0.33
12.85
2.02
3.48
0.30
0.25
0.21
0.09
0.10
0.03
0.01
0.02
0.46
0.43
0.40
0.29
0.30
0.17
0.08
0.13
0.30
0.24
0.21
0.01
0.10
0.03
0.01
0.02
0.46
0.43
0.41
0.29
0.30
0.17
0.08
0.14
0.02
0.06
0.14
0.09
0.14
0.17
0.37
0.16
0.24
0.35
0.29
0.35
0.37
0.48
0.04
0.04
0.13
0.09
0.29
0.14
0.27
0.19
0.20
0.33
0.28
0.46
0.35
0.44
20041
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