Gender differences in the job satisfaction of university teachers

In recent years there has been a substantial rise in the number of women entering the work force. One consequence of this trend is that it has generated considerable interest in the relationship between gender and job satisfaction. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gender on the job satisfaction of UK academics. A questionnaire including several demographic questions such as gender, rank and age was administered to 1,102 university teachers. A total of 554 responses was received, giving a response rate of 50.3 per cent. The results indicated that gender does not affect the job satisfaction of university teachers directly. However, the interaction effect of gender and rank was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Overall, female academics at higher ranks namely, senior lecturers, readers and professors, were more satisfied with their jobs than male academics of comparable ranks. The implications of this finding and other results are explored.