Perceived Job Attributes, Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress: A Comparison of Working Men and Women

This paper evaluates the importance of perceived job attributes in accounting for previously observed sex differences in job satisfaction and psychological distress. This study sample consisted of 854 males and 272 females who were working full time. The results indicated that male ratings of job satisfaction were equivalent to those of females, while women scored higher than men on a measure of psychological distress. However, when job attribute perceptions were held constant, female job satisfaction was significantly higher than that of males and there were no sex differences in levels of psychololgical distress. Only marginally significant sex-by-job attribute interactions were found for job satisfaction and psychological distress, suggesting similar bases of satisfaction and mental health across sex. The results are discussed in terms of female expectations regarding employment and the importance of role-related stress in accounting for sex differences in psychological morbidity.