Gender Inequality and Job Satisfaction in Senegal: A Multiple Mediation Model

Abstract

Women are often found to be in inferior jobs with lower wages and lower job quality, but to report higher job satisfaction. This gender-job satisfaction paradox is documented for high-income countries and is explained by gender inequality in job quality and expectations. In this paper we document this paradox for a low-income country. We explore the complex relationship between gender, job quality and job satisfaction among agro-industry workers in Senegal, using primary data from a comprehensive worker survey. We use a multiple mediation model to disentangle direct and indirect pathways through which gender relates to job satisfaction. We find that women's job satisfaction is higher, despite earning lower wages, receiving fewer nonwage benefits, being more in casual employment, and working fewer hours than men. Moreover, job satisfaction varies more strongly with gender than with worker education, wages or other job quality characteristics. We find that gender inequality in job quality mitigates the positive relationship between gender and job satisfaction, with wage and nonwage benefits as major mediating variables. Our results imply that reducing gender inequality in wages and other job quality characteristics would increase women's job satisfaction. Our findings bring some nuance to the debate around the gender-job satisfaction paradox, and refute the idea that reducing gender inequality in job quality would reduce women's job satisfaction and wellbeing because of increases in women's expectations.

Rural Employment in Africa: Trends and Challenges

“…Fabry et al (2021a,b) indicate that female wage employees in horticultural export companies in Senegal face worse conditions for multiple dimensions of decent work than male workers, and youth and migrant workers are found to be less likely to have a decent job in this sector. Despite lower wages and poorer working conditions, women are observed to have a higher job satisfaction (Fabry et al, 2021a) -a relation that is in the literature referred to as the gender job satisfaction paradox and ascribed to self-selection and differences in expectations.…”