Soddisfazione lavorativa e differenze di genere: una proposta di analisi

The recent transformations in the labor market and the current political and economic scenarios have profoundly changed the concept of job quality compared to the past. As a result, men and women live differently their work experience and it is difficult to distinguish a job “of high quality” from one that is not. Although, according to official statistics, there are still strong disparities between men and women in the workplace in Italy, Italian female workers declare themselves to be quite satisfied with their jobs. So, how can be explained what has been called a “gender paradox”? This paper examines the relationship between job satisfaction and gender in Italy. The reading of the phenomenon here offered draws attention to the mechanisms of social comparison and the gender stereotypes that persist around the women figure in Italy.