Gender differences in satisfaction with the type of work University employees do: evidence from the University of Botswana

Abstract

The study investigated the extent to which male and female employees of a University differ in various attributes and attitudes and in the level of satisfaction with the type of work they do, and further established factors that might help explain these differences. A stratified random sample of 360 academic and administrative staff of the University of Botswana was collected. Findings indicate that differences between males and females in the level of satisfaction were due to certain negative work experiences such as gender discrimination, tribalism and racism, nepotism and favoritism, and due to certain sources of stress from the immediate supervisor, demands of work on private life and from domestic responsibilities. These negative experiences contributed to lower levels of satisfaction among women than among men. Considering all factors that might explain different job satisfaction among employees at a university, five attributes stood out as significant, namely: belonging to an older age group; understanding the competing demands of teaching and research responsibilities; taking advantage of technological advancement at work; perceiving equity in the distri-bution of the workload; feeling that there was always enough to do at work.