Does the household context matter for job satisfaction among low-wage workers?

authored by

Matthias Pohlig, Sabine Israel, Irene Dingeldey

Abstract

Previous research has established that low-wage earners have on average lower job satisfaction. However, several studies have found personal characteristics, such as gender, age and educational level, moderate this negative impact. This article demonstrates additional factors at the household level, which have not yet been empirically investigated, and which may exacerbate gender differences. The authors analyse the job satisfaction of low-wage earners depending on the contribution of individual earnings to the household income and on household deprivation using the 2013 special wave of the EU-SILC for 18 European countries. The study finds that single earners in low-wage employment report lower job satisfaction whereas low-wage employment does not seem to make a difference for secondary earners. Furthermore, low-wage earners’ job satisfaction is linked with the ability of their household to make ends meet.

Organisation(s)

Sociology Department

External Organisation(s)

University of Bremen
GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences

Type

Article

Journal

Economic and industrial democracy

Volume

43

Pages

1028-1058

No. of pages

31

ISSN

0143-831X

Publication date

01.08.2022

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Business, Management and Accounting(all), Strategy and Management, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Management of Technology and Innovation

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X20975865 (Access: Open)