Job satisfaction in Europe: a gender analysis

Purpose The main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in job satisfaction in Europe. Design/methodology/approach For the empirical analysis, data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey were used. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a principal component analysis (PCA) aggregated variable, after unconditional quantile regressions in a multiple imputation background, was implemented. Findings Women report higher job satisfaction than men do. Women were significantly more satisfied than men for the middle levels of the job satisfaction distribution. Originality/value This study expands the evidence on the determinants of job satisfaction in the European labour market by applying a recent form of decomposition that invests in unconditional quantile regression (UQR). To the best of this study knowledge, this is the first time that the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a PCA aggregated variable after unconditional quantile regression has been employed to study gender-based differences in job satisfaction.