Job Characteristics and Life Satisfaction in the EU: a Domains-of-Life Approach
- PDF / 620,209 Bytes
- 30 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 57 Downloads / 232 Views
Job Characteristics and Life Satisfaction in the EU: a Domains-of-Life Approach Clara Viñas-Bardolet 1,2 & Monica Guillen-Royo 2 & Joan Torrent-Sellens 1 Received: 11 September 2018 / Accepted: 27 February 2019/ # The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract Working life has come to permeate every domain of life. Characteristics once thought to affect only the job domain have become important determinants of how people assess their daily lives. This article explores the influence of job characteristics on satisfaction with several life domains in 28 EU countries, asking: 1) What is the relationship between job characteristics and satisfaction with work and other domains of life? 2) Is the job domain more important for life satisfaction than other domains of life? Additionally, we apply a domains-of-life perspective to investigate possible differences in these relationships between high- and low-skilled workers, using data on white-collar workers from the third European Quality of Life Survey (3EQLS) and multiple Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions to estimate the models.Work–life balance and perceived job (in)security emerge as important determinants of satisfaction regarding all domains and both types of workers studied. Satisfaction in the work domain ranks fourth in contributing to overall life satisfaction, after the standard of living, family life and social life domains. This relatively low direct contribution to life satisfaction of the work domain is particularly visible among low-skilled workers. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for workers’ wellbeing of the increasing insecurity in the job market and the fact that meaning is often sought through work despite the effects of poor work–life balance on most life-domains. Keywords Domains of life satisfaction . Job satisfaction . Life satisfaction . White-collar
workers . Working conditions . Work–life balance conflict
* Clara Viñas-Bardolet [email protected] Monica Guillen-Royo [email protected] Joan Torrent-Sellens [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
C. Viñas-Bardolet et al.
Introduction On an everyday basis, the work domain exerts a pervasive influence, conditioning our relationships with others, our opportunities for exercise and outdoor recreation, and our physical and emotional health, among many other factors. This influence stems from specific job characteristics and from the time spent at work and in commuting (Eurofound and ILO 2017). The influence of work across life-domains has been studied by classical sociologists and organizational theorists such as Durkheim (1947) with his theory of division of labour, and Marx (1976, 1927) in his theories of labour process and alienation. Also most recent researchers such as Near et al. (1980) have studied the relationship between aspects of work life and non-work domains. Kalleberg (2009) notes that work is a core activity in society: “perhaps only kin rela
Data Loading...
