Does gender difference matter in job satisfaction? A case of academicians in karnataka

Learning organizations are the hubs of knowledge generation and dissemination. Academicians need organizational support to accomplish these time-consuming tasks effectively. The academician, when satisfied with his or her own work, is committed to the organization and demonstrates higher work productivity and work quality. The present study, with a cross-sectional design, was aimed to assess the level of job satisfaction (gender-wise) and its determinants, among academicians, in the institutions of higher education in Karnataka. The study used a validated job satisfaction questionnaire developed by the researchers. The overall job satisfaction was satisfactory and did not differ between the male and female academicians. The job satisfaction in the aspects of promotion, supervision, coworkers, facilities, and working hours differed significantly between the male and female academicians. Among the socio-demographic factors; government or government-aided institutions, as well as the age of the academician, predicted job satisfaction. The findings imply the need for improved infrastructure facilities, clarity on the promotion process, fair distribution of workload, and an improved social atmosphere with gender equality and better interpersonal relationships. This study of job satisfaction among the academicians of Arts, Science, Commerce, and Management colleges of Karnataka, is novel as there is no prior documented systematic inquiry among academicians of these streams.