The Role of Gender in Job Satisfaction of University Staff Members

Transcription

1 Ref: 6.15 Type: Refereed Paper Stream: Gendered Issues in HRD The Role of Gender in Job Satisfaction of University Staff Members Ali Hajiha Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch Iran Javad Jassbi Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch Iran Farhad ghaffari Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch Iran Abstract One issue which has always been a matter of discussion in human resources development is sustainable and consistent distribution of facilities between men and women. In fact one of the problems developed countries have is the facility gap between these two genders. An indication of such issue and its index can be sought in their satisfaction. This research attends to the impact of gender on job satisfaction among staff members. The population participating in this research includes four universities which are Azad University branches and campuses. Azad University is now one of the largest universities in the world embracing 300 branches. This research intends to study the extent of satisfaction of the male and female staff members separately in the four mentioned branches. To compare job satisfaction of the staff members, 15 questions were about the various aspects of their jobs and one question was about their gender. To test different proposed hypotheses on job satisfaction in men and women, Whitney method was used, which is a Nonparametric Statistical Methods. The results obtained from the analysis of the questionnaires show that in all four universities job satisfaction rate was lower among women as compared to that among men. On some indices, the obtained results were not significantly different. However on seven indices the difference is significant, although such a difference may be the effect of different perceptions. The results of the present research can help university managers adopt appropriate strategies to reduce gender discrimination. Keywords: Job Satisfaction, Biographical Characteristics, Gender, Staff Members

2 1. Introduction Attending to job satisfaction of the university staff members has always been a pivot in human resources of organizations. In fact, studying the job satisfaction of the staff members is a way of being aware of the man power status in organizations. Various researches on biographical (demographical) characteristics of the staff members such as gender, age, education, marital status, etc. along with their effect on job satisfaction of the staff members have been conducted. Of these characteristics, gender, due to its nature and its effect on the physical differences between men and women and their attitudes plays a key role in job satisfaction of the people. In order to develop human resources, it is necessary to attend to the job related needs of the staff members of the organization. Naturally, one of the key issues in modern work environment is paying due attention to the job satisfaction of the staff members. Should this be ignored, other issues would be affected. More over during the recent years, importance and the role of gender difference have led to researches in different social, political, and legal fields. Today many seminars and conferences on women's rights are being held around the globe. The study of the relation between job satisfaction and gender, as the number of women is increasing in the job market particularly in developing countries, is a critical issue to do a research on. This paper intends to study and compare the job satisfaction factors in men and women working in four branches of Azad University, so that through recognizing gender based job satisfaction indices, it can be made possible to identify general policies of the university on human resources. Islamic Azad University is one of the largest universities in the world with nearly 300 branches and campuses and 1.4 million students attending all programs and levels. IAU alone equals fifty percent of the higher education of Iran. It is a nongovernmental and nonprofit university and has a remarkable share in enhancing women's education. In the second section, this paper deals with the literature review. The third section is devoted to methodology of the research. The fourth section puts forward the analyses of data, and the fifth section is conclusion. 2. Literature Review The term "Job Satisfaction" refers to a person's overall attitude towards his/her job. One who is satisfied with his job has a positive attitude towards his job and one who is not, responds negatively to it. Job Satisfaction has also been defined as a sensational concept an individual his towards his job [1]. So far more than 5000 articles have been published on job satisfaction [2]. The importance of job satisfaction has been emphasized as one of the factors affecting improvement in staff members' work status [3]. Numerous researches have also been done on the impact of gender differences on job satisfaction, which show the existence of a relation between them [2,4]. Researches show different results between job satisfaction extent in men and women. Some researches indicate a higher rate in men and some others show the reverse. Some other researches have shown that there is no significant difference between gender and job satisfaction [5]. For example in 1964 Hulin & Smith studied the impact of gender on job satisfaction of 295 women staff members and 163 men staff members who worked in different factories. They found out that women staff members were less satisfied with their jobs as compared to men. Coh and Koh, in 1991, studied the impact of gender on

3 job satisfaction in 608 Singaporean accountants, and found out that men clerks' job satisfaction was higher than that of women [2]. Separate researches conducted by Mottaz in 1986 and Mason in 1995 showed that job satisfaction in administrative staff members is different from that of management staff members [6]. Lumpkin and Tudor (1990) and Stedham and Yamamura (2002) showed that women managers receive lower salary (payment) compared to men, and they are less satisfied accordingly [2]. Different researches showed that women's job satisfaction in America and England is higher than that of men's [7]. In the past, women's jobs were far more difficult, so their expectations are much less, and accordingly higher job satisfaction in women does not necessarily indicate their better job status [8]. In a research done on job satisfaction of 360 IT managers in Nigerian companies, the results showed that managers were satisfied with the nature of their jobs, coworkers, and supervision and their dissatisfaction was on salary and promotion opportunities. Analyses showed that such personal elements as gender, age, education, and income and work experience are significant indices of job satisfaction [9]. 3. Research Methodology In this research four branches of Azad university located in different cities were Considered as a case study. Job satisfaction of the staff members working in these four branches seemed to be low. The duration of the survey was six months from the beginning of fall to the end of winter To find a better result in this research, sampling was not used. Since the number of men and women in the said universities was almost equal, all four populations were selected. Totally, 346 questionnaires were handed out in the four universities among the staff members, of whom 281 answered the questions. 128 of the respondents were men and 153 were women. The means of measurement was a questionnaire devised by the researcher. Job descriptive index and existing world standards were used in designing the questionnaire. The questionnaire included 15 questions on different various job aspects, and 1 question on the gender status of the staff members (more four questions for other biographical characteristics). The devised questions were used to determine the job satisfaction of men and women on different indices and indicate the differences in the four universities. To determine the reliability of the questionnaire, some of the staff members in each university were selected through Cluster random sampling in order for the pre-survey to be done. To determine the reliability of the questionnaire Cronbach s Alpha coefficient was used and the observed coefficient for all the universities was larger than To determine the validity, face validity and experts' opinions were used. The problems recognized in the pre-survey were removed. 4. Analysis of the results To test the proposed hypotheses on job satisfaction of men and women, Whitney test was used since samples were independent. To perform the test, the median of job satisfaction of men and women staff members was studied through 15 indices applied in four different universities. The indices used in this table, which are the basis of devising questionnaires, were as follows: Q1. Match between job and education; Q2. Salary (payment); Q3. Job promotion opportunity; Q4. Having equal

4 privileges; Q5. Education and learning opportunities; Q6. Financial facilities and services; Q7. Job security; Q8. Work environment conditions; Q9. Working with manager (relation); Q10. Public Image of the organization; Q11. Cooperation and understanding among staff members; Q12. Food and beverages; Q13. Knowing about work results Q14. Sports Amenities; Q15. Speed in performing jobs. Table 1. Whitney Test for men and women separately, in four universities Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 4 Q 5 Q 6 Q 7 Q 8 Q 9 Q 10 Q 11 Q 12 Q 13 Q 14 Q Wilcoxon W Z Wilcoxon W Z Wilcoxon W Z Wilcoxon W Z Considering the results shown in table 1, we tend to interpret the differences between job satisfaction of men and women. As said before, in this research four universities were chosen whose staff members seemed to be least satisfied with their jobs. As the data was large, the results obtained from the four universities were considered and analyzed in two groups. The first group is about indices which showed significant difference in the answers given by men and women staff members of all four universities. As it comes from the table, the calculated z at 0.95 level shows that the assumption put forward in H0 equal means obtained from men and women as for their job satisfaction related to the match between their job and education, being privileged with equal sports amenities is rejected for men and women in all four universities. This indicates that there is a significant difference between the two groups. As the employment rate is low in the society, most people (especially women) are ready to be hired for the positions which are not at all related to their field of study. This will cause dissatisfaction in the future after they are employed. Feeling of discrimination is another factor for which there is a significant difference. This feeling comes from a combination of different indices. Table 2 and comparing the median obtained from men and women in the four universities approve that this feeling is logical. The results obtained from table 2 shows that in few indices the median obtained from women's answers was higher than that obtained from men's. This suggests the low satisfaction level of women as compared to men.

5 Sports amenities is one of the weak points of Azad University. Among the indices the largest difference belongs to this index. This gap is derived from extensive sports activities which are in many specialized fields provided to men only. In many sports fields, men participate in premier leagues in the country, while little attention has been paid to women's sports amenities. Table 2. Median of the answers for men and women separately, in four universities Uni 1 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 FEMALE MALE Uni 2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 FEMALE MALE Uni 3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 FEMALE MALE Uni 4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 FEMALE MALE The second group deals with indices which showed significant difference in the answers given by men and women staff members of three universities. Therefore the calculated z at 0.95 level shows that the assumption put forward in H 0 equal means obtained from men and women as for their job satisfaction related to their salary (payment), promotion opportunities, education and learning opportunities, being aware of the work results is rejected for men and women in three universities. This indicates that there is a significant difference between the two groups. In general, in countries where level of income is low, satisfaction in salary (payment) has always been a worry for the staff. Nevertheless, equal payment to men and women in Azad University requires more investigation in large populations. Job promotion opportunity is another point of dissatisfaction among women staff, which has been paid little attention by the university. Statistics show that in most Iranian organizations men play key roles. Undoubtedly the past job market structure is quite influential in this regard so that the rate of working women and their interest in academic education has increased during the past two decades. This rate will lead to key positions for women. Education and learning opportunities for women also refers to the previous factor. In fact as most key positions have been occupied by men, they have been privileged with more facilities to acquire knowledge. Being aware of the work results is another issue which indicates a significant difference. The median obtained from the answers to this question provided in table 2 shows the figure 50 percent. On the other hand job satisfaction is on the average for this index. Therefore, as the obtained median for men shows figure 75 which is on high, the results of this index has caused the difference between the answers in the two groups. 5. Conclusion

6 This research dealt with the extent of men and women staff members' job satisfaction separately in four different universities. To make a comparison between job satisfaction of men and women, 15 different indices were used. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the three indices of match between job and education level, having equal opportunities, and sports amenities in all four universities. The results also showed that on the four indices of salary (payment), promotion opportunities, education and learning opportunities, and being aware of the work results there is significant difference in three universities in the answers obtained from men and women. To compare the results between men and women, median central index was used. It was known that women as compared to men are less satisfied with their jobs. A part of the results roots in the traditional job market and its consequences; another part being the result of little attention of the officials of the universities. Future researches can focus on the point that whether the difference in job satisfaction between men and women is a result of external factors or is a kind of different perception and an outcome of the distance between expectation and reality. Because as mentioned before, even in such cases as salary (payment) or equal job conditions job satisfaction extent was not alike. Acknowledgement: Authors would like to thank vice president of research of Azad University for all supports in this research. References: 1- Garcıa, B.J., Gargallo, C.A., Marzo, N.M. and Rivera, T.P. (2005), Job satisfaction: empirical evidence of gender differences, Women in Management Review, Vol. 20 No. 4, p Okpara, J.O. (2006), Gender and the relationship between perceived fairness in pay, promotion, and job satisfaction in a sub-saharan African economy, Women in Management Review, Vol. 21 No. 3, p Aremu, A.O., Adeyoju, C.A. (2003), Job commitment, job satisfaction and gender as predictors of mentoring in the Nigeria Police, An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, p Singh, P. (2004), Gender and job attitudes: a re-examination and extension, women in Management Review, Vol. 19 No. 7, p Oshagbemi, T. (2000), Gender differences in the job satisfaction of university Teachers, Women in Management Review, Vol. 15 No. 7, p Manning, T.T. (2002), Gender, managerial level, transformational leadership and work satisfaction, Women in Management Review, Vol. 17. No. 5, p Donohue, S.M. (2004), Job satisfaction and gender: an expanded specification from the NLSY, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 25 No. 2, p Kaiser, L.C. (2007), Gender-job satisfaction differences across Europe, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 28 No. 1, p Okpara, J.O. (2004), Personal characteristics as predictors of job satisfaction, Information Technology & People, Vol. 17 No. 3, p. 336.