Multidimensionality of Well-Being and Spillover Effects Across Life Domains: How Do Parenthood and Personality Affect Changes in Domain-Specific Satisfaction?

Whether having children improves our well-being is a long-standing topic of debate. Demographic and sociological research has investigated changes in individuals’ overall well-being and partnership satisfaction when they become parents. However, little is known about how becoming parent may produce vulnerability—observable as an enduring decrease in well-being—in life domains that are strongly interdependent with the family domain, such as work and leisure. Linking life-course and personality psychology perspectives, the authors examine the trajectories of subjective well-being—measured as satisfaction with life, work, and leisure—3 years before and 3 years after the transition to parenthood. The authors particularly focus on the moderating effects of gender and personality. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1984–2013) and multilevel growth curve modeling, the authors show strong gender-based vulnerability in how people react to parenthood. Although men display a nonlinear pathway of decreasing life satisfaction and a stable trajectory of job satisfaction, women experience more changes in their satisfaction with work and more dramatic decreases in leisure satisfaction. Contrary to most of our expectations, the moderating effects of personality were modest. Extraversion influenced the trajectories of work satisfaction, whereas neuroticism and conscientiousness affected the pathway of leisure satisfaction for women only. This article shows that the transition to parenthood influences well-being trajectories in specific domains, and this influence differs between women and men.     

JOB CHARACTERISTICS AND WELL-BEING AT MIDLIFE Ethnic and Gender Comparisons

Lacking in the research on work and well-being is a focus on the characteristics of the employment role that contribute to well-being and their differential relations across ethnicity and gender. White and Black women and men at midlife (ages 40-64) were studied. The samples were drawn from two national surveys and included 186 White women, 202 White men, 254 Black women, and 169 Black men. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the relation of work commitment, job satisfaction, role stress, occupational status and personal income to perceived control, life satisfaction, and happiness. Marital status, age, and hours worked were included as control variables. Results indicate that job satisfaction is positively related to life satisfaction for all four groups, and to happiness for White women and Black men. Personal income is positively related to perceived control for Black women and White men, and to life satisfaction for White women. Occupational status is positively related to perceived control for White and Black women; role stress is negatively related to life satisfaction among White men, and to happiness among Black women. Among the control variable, being married positively related to well-being for all four race-sex groups.     

Contributions of a supportive work environment to parents' well-being and orientation to work

Examined the joint and unique contributions of informal social support in the workplace and formal, family-responsive benefits and policies provided by employers to the job-related attitudes and personal well-being of employed parents with a young child. Eighty married men, 169 married women, and 72 single women with a preschool child completed a survey concerning social support from co-workers and supervisor, utilization of family-responsive benefits and policies, readiness to leave the employer for additional benefits, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, role strain, and health symptoms. Among the findings: (a) Fathers and mothers expressed equal levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but mothers reported more role strain and health symptoms; (b) nearly 48% of married women's organizational commitment was accounted for by measures of support in the workplace; (c) informal social support at work was significantly more important to men's well-being than that of women; and (d) formal, family-responsive policies appeared more consequential for the prediction of women's role strain, perhaps because of women's greater responsibility for adjusting work life to meet the demands of family roles.     

Role Overload,Job Satisfaction,Leisure Satisfaction,and Psychological Health Among Employed Women

Role overload, job satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, and psychological health were measured for 155 women who were employed full time. Role overload was negatively correlated with psychological health, job satisfaction, and leisure satisfaction. Job satisfaction and leisure satisfaction were positively correlated with psychological health. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that role overload was the strongest predictor of psychological health and that job satisfaction and leisure satisfaction, respectively, added significantly to the prediction equation.     

A Longitudinal Examination of the Directional Effects between Relationship Quality and Well-Being for a National Sample of U.S. Men and Women

The interaction between relationship quality and individual well-being has commonly been examined using a negative conceptualization of these constructs (e.g., relationship aggression and depression, respectively). The present study examines the direction of association between individual well-being and relationship quality. Specifically, we examined if this direction differed based on positive and negative conceptualizations of individual (i.e., life satisfaction and depression) and relationship (i.e., relationship satisfaction and conflict) well-being and how this differed for men and women. Using a series of cross-lagged path analyses across three time points, we found that relationship satisfaction and life satisfaction were mutually influential over time, but life satisfaction was only predictive of later conflict. Further, depression predicted both later relationship conflict and relationship satisfaction. Regarding gender differences, life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction exhibited a cyclical relationship for men but not for women. For women, but not men, depression was related to later relationship satisfaction. Taken together, these results suggest that nuances exist in the association between relationship quality and individual well-being depending on the conceptualization of the construct (negative vs. positive) and gender. More specifically, it appears that life satisfaction, or positive conceptualizations of well-being, may be more relevant to men’s relationship quality whereas depression, or negative conceptualizations of well-being, may be more relevant to women’s relationship quality. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Bien-être à la retraite selon le genre et l’âge : lien avec la perception du travail ancien

We focused on the direct relationship between job satisfaction experienced during working life and life-satisfaction after retirement. Also we wonder on differences about aspects of the former work evoked as pleasant. These questions are treated by differentiating women and men perceptions, and the perceptions according to age. Data on 396 French subjects, 182 men and 214 women (age range 66 to 98) were used to examine how life-satisfaction in retirement is linked to the perception of former job satisfaction. Other indications of adaptation are retained, as self-esteem or conversely boredom. Results show a) that job satisfaction is a predictable variable for life-satisfaction after retirement, b) that this impact is weaker for youngest, c) a strong similarity between men and women, whatever is their age. We discuss observed links.     

The Relationship Between Size of Living Space and Subjective Well-Being

Against a background of shrinking new homes and forebodings of “rabbit hutch Britain”, the relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being has never been more topical in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and fixed effects regressions, this paper is the first to examine this relationship comprehensively. Two pathways are proposed between space and subjective well-being. First, space facilitates values and activities. Second, space signals wealth which in turn influences social status. It is proposed that wealth is a more important determinant of status for men than women, and that pathway two is therefore gendered. Part one of the paper examines the effect of a change in number of rooms per person on housing satisfaction and subjective well-being in the BHPS as a whole. Despite having a similar effect on the housing satisfaction of both genders, an increase in living space has only a (weak) positive linear effect on the life satisfaction and mental health of men. This suggests that space affects subjective well-being through pathway two, status. Part two of the paper tracks the housing satisfaction and subjective well-being over time of those individuals who move for “larger accommodation”. Consistent with various theories of adaptation, housing satisfaction increases in the year of the move; then decreases slightly before levelling out. Moving for “larger accommodation” has no positive impact on subjective well-being. Overall the results imply a weak positive relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being, but only for men.     

WHO IS HAPPY?

A flood of new studies explores people's subjective well-being (SWB) Frequent positive affect, infrequent negative affect and a global sense of satisfaction with life define high SWB These studies reveal that happiness and life satisfaction are similarly available to the young and the old, women and men, blacks and whites, the rich and the working-class. Better clues to well-being come from knowing about a person's traits, close relationships, work experiences, culture, and religiosity. We present the elements of an appraisal-based theory of happiness that recognizes the importance of adaptation, cultural world view, and personal goals     

Gender Differences in the Job Satisfaction of Public Employees: A Study of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea

A central paradox in studies of gender and job satisfaction is why women’s job satisfaction is not lower than men’s, given that women’s jobs are often inferior in terms of pay, autonomy, and promotional opportunity. The purpose of this study was to investigate this paradox by asking two questions: How does the job satisfaction of female public employees compare with that of male employees? How can we explain the gender differences in job satisfaction? Data from a survey of 5,128 public employees in Seoul Metropolitan Government indicate that women are more satisfied with their jobs than are men. Among demographic variables gender was the only significant predictor of job satisfaction; women emphasized intrinsic rewards, whereas men emphasized extrinsic rewards. The reasons for women’s high job satisfaction are discussed and explained.     

Gender-Related Effects in the Job-Design–Job-Satisfaction Relationship: An Interactional Approach

In this study, we took an interactional approach to understanding how ethic of care opportunity and self-actualization opportunity, two job design variables, are related to job satisfaction. Ethic of care opportunity in a job is theorized to result in satisfaction when job incumbents have high relational self-definition. Self-actualization opportunity in a job is theorized to result in satisfaction when incumbents have low relational self-definition. To the extent that women are likely to develop high relational self-definition, and men are likely to develop low relational self-definition, we hypothesized that the relationship between ethic of care opportunity and satisfaction would be strongest for women with high relational self-definition. We also hypothesized that the relationship between self-actualization opportunity and satisfaction would be strongest for men with low relational self-definition. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of women (n = 119) and men (n =115) with diverse job titles, and were supported. Results are discussed in terms of the strength of the job-design–job-satisfaction relationship for women and for men.     

Body Image in Older Adults: Links with Religion and Gender

Research has confirmed a healthy link between young adults’ religiosity and body image. This study explored this relationship in 127 older men and women (mean = 74 years) who completed measures on two dimensions of body image (body satisfaction and anxiety about an aging appearance) and on different indices of religiosity. Men reported higher body satisfaction and lower anxiety about an aging appearance than women. For men, body satisfaction correlated with many religiosity variables and was predicted by religious well-being, existential well-being, and manifestation of God in their body; aging-appearance anxiety was unrelated to religiosity. For women, body satisfaction was weakly related to religiosity but aging-appearance anxiety was predicted by intrinsic orientation, religious well-being, and existential well-being; in all cases higher religiosity predicted lower anxiety about an aging appearance. Results are discussed in the context of differing cultural standards of aging and attractiveness for men and women.     

Type-A Behavior, Job Performance, and Well-Being in College Teachers

This study examined the relationship between Type-A behavior and job performance, and employee well-being among college teachers in Canada. Well-being was operationalized in terms of burnout, social support, work satisfaction, and turnover motivation. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from 420 college teachers. Pearson correlation and moderated multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. Global Type-A behavior was not related to 3 measures of job performance: teaching hours, number of course preparations per semester and number of students. However, global Type-A behavior correlated positively with burnout and turnover motivation and negatively with perceived social support and work satisfaction. Two components of Type-A behavior (time pressure and hard driving/competitiveness) exhibited the same pattern of relationship with job performance and well-being variables as was found with the global measure of Type-A behavior. Moderated multiple regression did not support the role of gender as a moderator of Type-A behavior and job performance and well-being variables.     

Job Insecurity and Well-Being: Moderation by Employability

The present study investigates the relationship between job insecurity and well-being (psychological distress and life satisfaction), and the potential role of employability in this relationship. With regard to job insecurity, we hypothesize that job insecurity may be related to poor well-being. Regarding employability, two avenues are taken. First, we argue that employability may be beneficial in much the same way that job security is. Second, we suggest that employability may mitigate likely unfavourable consequences of job insecurity for employees’ well-being. Hypotheses are tested with a sample of 639 Belgian employees from six organizations. The results suggest that job insecurity is related to poor well-being, while no such association is found for employability. Furthermore, employability moderates the relationship between job insecurity and life satisfaction, as expected. Specifically, the model accounts for 8% of the explained variance. However, this pattern of results is not replicated for psychological distress.     

Who are your Neighbors? Neighbor Relationships and Subjective Well-Being in Japan

Supportive relationships with neighbors have been shown to positively predict indicators of subjective well-being. Using data from the 2010 Japanese General Social Survey, we examine how neighbor relationships predict subjective well-being. Japan presents an interesting case to examine this question when considering its highly institutionalized neighborhood associations. We find that controlling for the safety and amenity aspects of the neighborhood environment, supportive neighbor relationships significantly increase men and women’s life satisfaction, but such relationships have a significant positive effect only on men’s happiness. The effects of neighborhood relationships on life satisfaction and happiness are significantly larger for men. Moreover, we find that the social and safety aspects of the neighborhood reinforce each other to increase life satisfaction also only for men. Implications of the gendered pattern of these results are discussed for future research on the association between neighbor relationships and subjective well-being in Japan and beyond.

     

Leisure Satisfaction Mediates the Relationships between Leisure Settings,Subjective Well-Being,and Depression among Middle-Aged Adults in Urban China

This study examined the role played by leisure satisfaction in the relationship between leisure settings (built and natural), subjective well-being, and depression among midlife residents of urban China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze this conceptual model, exploring data taken from a representative sample of 663 Chinese urban middle-aged citizens included in the 2014 Chinese Leisure Study. Additionally, leisure satisfaction was tested as a mediator between leisure in nature and subjective well-being. The results indicate that leisure satisfaction mediates the relationship between specific leisure settings (i.e., leisure in nature and outdoor recreation), subjective well-being, and depression. The results therefore contribute to the literature by providing evidence of the relationship between leisure settings, subjective well-being, and depression through identification of the positive effects of leisure on nature. Future health interventions should therefore highlight the advantages of urban green spaces.

     

Gender,Emotional Support,and Well-Being Among the Rural Elderly

The current study sought to clarify the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of rural elders. Data were provided by 180 older men and women (mean age = 73.6 years) living in Northern Appalachia. Similar to the demographic profile of this region, most (97.2%) of the participants were Caucasian. Although mean differences in perceptions of emotional support did not emerge, the relative importance of various sources of support differed for men and women. For men, higher satisfaction with family support was associated with lower negative affect and higher positive affect. For women, although satisfaction with emotional support from family and more years of education were associated with lower levels of negative affect, emotional support from friends enhanced positive affect. The results suggest that new programs may be needed in order to help older rural men and women to maintain well-being in late life.     

Pattern of psychological fitness as related to pattern of physical fitness among older adults

The purpose of the present study was to investigate psychological fitness as well as physical fitness among late middle-aged normal men and women before, during, and after a 12-wk. physical activity program. Heart-rate of each subject was measured on a graded treadmill four times, and four psychological measures were taken: self-esteem, body-image, trait-anxiety, and well-being. Improvement of fitness was gradual and significant for both sexes, whereas no effects of time or sex were found on the first three psychological measures. Significant differences in pattern of change between women and men on well-being confirm previous findings that women report more depression and less satisfaction than men and thus are more sensitive to change.     

Supportive When Not Supported? Male Responses to Negative Climates for Women

This study examined the relationship between perceived climate for women and job satisfaction in a male-dominated context, focusing on moderating variables which may augment or decrease this relationship for men. Specifically, it was predicted that job satisfaction will be lower for women and men in a male-dominated context when they perceive a negative climate for women, but that this relationship will be moderated for men based on the levels of support and exclusion they experience. Using a sample of 239 (75.7% male) professors, staff, graduate assistants, and undergraduate assistants in a male-dominated science department of a large Midwestern university, we found that perceptions of a negative climate for women were significantly related to lower reports of job satisfaction for both women and men. However, perceived organizational support moderated this relationship, such that the job satisfaction of men who felt highly supported by the organization were unaffected by the perceived climate for women. Discussion and implications of results are included.     

Gender and the relationship between perceived fairness of pay or promotion and job satisfaction.

Brockner and Adsit (1986) found that satisfaction with an exchange relationship was more strongly related to perceptions of equity among men than women. Kahn (1972) reported that men were more likely than women to distribute outcomes to individuals in direct proportion to their input. We evaluated potential gender differences among 12,979 personnel in 30 different organizational systems in (a) correlations between fairness and job satisfaction scores and (b) standardized group differences in the perceived amounts of pay and promotion fairness and expressed levels of facet and global job satisfaction. The fairness-satisfaction relationship was not higher for men, and there were no practical differences in fairness perceptions and job satisfaction between men and women.     

A longitudinal and multi‐source test of the work–family conflict and job satisfaction relationship

Job satisfaction is one of the most frequently studied outcomes in the work–family conflict literature. This study extends the previous research examining the unique effects of work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) on job satisfaction by (1) controlling for family, personal, and job characteristics of dual‐earner couples, (2) employing cross‐sectional and longitudinal methods, and (3) predicting job satisfaction with a spousal rating of the target's WIF. Consistent with previous research, WIF was related to job satisfaction cross‐sectionally for men and women, and this effect existed beyond negative mood, job autonomy and monotony, and FIW. When predicting a change in job satisfaction a year later, and when using spouse rating of the target's WIF, WIF was predictive of women's job satisfaction but not men's, which is consistent with gender role theory. The fact that WIF predicted job satisfaction for women beyond affective and job characteristic variables, over time, and with non‐self reported measures, provides more confidence in this directional relationship than could previously be assumed. Societal and managerial implications are discussed.