The Determinants of Job Statisfaction for Young Males and Females

The growing role of females in the labor force makes the study of the quality of the workplace important for policy considerations. Logit regression analysis is used to test for the possible existence of gender differences in job satisfaction among young adults. Data are drawn from the 1980 youth cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys. The sample consists of 967 females and 1,230 males. Separate regressions are performed for males and females. The results indicate that gender differences in the determinants of job satisfaction do exist. Satisfaction with the job for males is more closely associated with general background characteristics, such as education level, marital status, and racial/ethnic differences. Job satisfaction for females is more closely linked with the workplace; for example, the wage rate, experience in the labor market, and job tenure. Five of the 7 workplace variables produced conflicting signs on the coefficients for males and females.