Job satisfaction and gender segregation

Using data from the US, the determinants of overall job satisfaction are estimated as part of explaining 'the paradox of the contented female worker'. Confirming earlier studies women report higher job satisfaction than men and higher job satisfaction in workplaces dominated by women workers. The US data allow us to demonstrate that men and women value job flexibility differently and that once differences in the extent of job flexibility are accounted for, the gender composition of the workplace plays no role in determining the job satisfaction of women. Thus, women in female dominated workplaces may report higher job satisfaction because they value job flexibility and so choose to dominate the workplaces that provide job flexibility. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.