Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Workplace Well-being, Gender and Age: Examining the ‘Double Jeopardy’ Effect

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines the effects of age and gender on work-related subjective well-being, looking at job-related affective well-being and job satisfaction. Specifically, it investigates whether older women, who may be doubly disadvantaged in being old and being women, are victims of a “double jeopardy” effect. Self-reported survey-data were obtained from 446 adults employed full-time. The results of this study suggest that age seems to matter more than gender in the workplace, and that aging is associated with lower job-related well-being and higher job satisfaction. Although older women reported slightly lower job-related affective well-being than men, the decrease of subjective well-being with age impacts on both genders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armstrong-Stassen, M., & Schlosser, F. (2008). Benefits of a supportive development climate for older workers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(4), 419–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnum, P., Liden, R. C., & Ditomaso, N. (1995). Double jeopardy for women and minorities: Pay differences with age. The Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 863–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beale, F. (1970). Double jeopardy: To be black and female. In T. Cade (Ed.), The black woman anthology (pp. 90–100). New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernal, D., Snyder, D., & McDaniel, M. (1998). The age and job satisfaction relationship: Does its shape and strength still evade us? Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B(5), 287–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brief, A. P., & Weiss, H. M. (2002). Organizational behavior: Affect in the workplace. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 279–307. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carstensen, L. L. (1995). Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 151–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, S., Reynolds, C. A., & Gatz, M. (2001). Age-related differences and change in positive and negative affect over 23 years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 136–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. (1997). Job satisfaction and gender: Why are women so happy at work? Labour Economics, 4(4), 341–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A., & Oswald, A. (1996). Satisfaction and comparison income. Journal of Public Economics, 61, 359–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danna, K., & Griffin, G. (1999). Health and well-being in the workplace: A review and synthesis of the literature. Journal of Management, 25(3), 357–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davern, M., Cummins, R. A., & Stokes, M. (2007). Subjective wellbeing as an affective/cognitive construct. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 429–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, C., & Loretto, W. (2004). Never the right age? Gender and age-based discrimination in employment. Gender, Work and Organization, 11(1), 95–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fotinatos-Ventouratos, R., & Cooper, C. (2005). The role of gender and social class in work stress. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(1), 14–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbreth, B., & Benson, P. G. (2004). The contribution of supervisory behaviour to employee well-being. Work and Stress, 18(3), 255–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, B. M., Gutek, B. A., Stein, J. H., & Lewis, K. (2006). Employment discrimination in organizations: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Management, 32(6), 786–830.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, R. H. (1994). The individual experience of work. In R. H. Hall (Ed.), Sociology of work: Perspectives, analyses, and issues (pp. 86–123). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

  • Heilman, M. E., & Eagly, A. H. (2008). Gender stereotypes are alive, well, and busy producing workplace discrimination. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1, 393–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hendrix, W., Spencer, B., & Gibson, G. (1994). Organizational and extra organizational factors affecting stress, employee well-being and absenteeism for males and females. Journal of Business and Psychology, 9(2), 103–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodson, R. (1989). Gender differences in job satisfaction: Why aren’t women more dissatisfied? Sociological Quarterly, 30, 385–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holman, D. (2002). Employee wellbeing in call centres. Human Resources Management Journal, 12, 35–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holvino, E. (2010). Intersections: The simultaneity of race, gender and class in organization studies. Gender, Work & Organization, 17(3), 248–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyde, J. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60, 581–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (2002). Gender, ageing, and subjective well-being. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 43(3–5), 391–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S. A., Warren, C. R., Barsky, A. P., & Thoresen, C. J. (2009). A note on the relationship between affect(ivity) and differing conceptualisations of job satisfaction: Some unexpected meta-analytic findings. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18(1), 29–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C., Shmotkin, D., & Ryff, C. (2002). Optimizing well-being: The empirical encounter of two traditions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 1007–1022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunzmann, U., Little, T. D., & Smith, J. (2000). Is age-related stability of subjective well-being a paradox? Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from the Berlin aging study. Psychology and Aging, 15, 511–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, A. E., & Allen, M. P. (2004). Double jeopardy in Hollywood: Age and gender in the careers of film actors. Sociological Forum, 19, 611–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mroczek, D. K. (2004). Positive and negative affect at midlife. In O. G. Brim, C. D. Ryff, & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we? A national study of well-being at midlife. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mroczek, D. K., & Kolarz, C. M. (1998). The effect of age on positive and negative affect: A developmental perspective on happiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1333–1349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. (2010). The relationships of age with job attitudes: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 63(4), 677–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page, M. P., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2009). The ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of employee well-being: A new model. Social Indicators Research, 90, 441–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peeters, M. C. W., & Van Emmerik, H. (2008). An introduction to the work and well-being of older workers: From managing threats to creating opportunities. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(4), 353–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2001). Gender differences in self-concept and psychological well-being in old age: A meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology: Series B- Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56 B(4), 195–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Posthuma, R., & Campion, M. (2009). Age stereotypes in the workplace: Common stereotypes, moderators, and future research directions. Journal of Management, 35(1), 158–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rafaeli, A., Semmer, N., & Tschan, F. (2009). Emotion in work settings. In D. Sanders & K. Scherer (Eds.), Oxford companion to affective sciences (pp. 414–416). Oxford: RJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riach, K. (2009). Managing ‘difference: Understanding age diversity in practice. Human Resource Management Journal, 19(3), 319–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz Paiva, M. F., Neto, F., Muñoz Sastre, M. T., Laumond-Salvatore, N., Shafighi-Rivière, S., & Mullet, E. (2009). Life domain satisfaction: A Portugal-France comparison. Social Indicators Research, 94, 173–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 1152–1178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). To be happy or to be self-fulfilled: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seo, M.-G., Barrett, L. F., & Jin, S. (2008). The structure of affect: History, theory, and implications for emotion research in organizations. In N. M. Ashkanasy & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Research companion to emotion in organizations. Cheltenham and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shirom, A., Gilboa, S., Fried, Y., & Cooper, C. (2008). Gender, age and tenure as moderators of work-related stressors relationships with job performance: A meta-analysis. Human Relations, 6(10), 1371–1398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shore, L. M., Chung-Herrera, C., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., Jung, D. I., Randel, A., et al. (2009). Diversity in organizations: Where are we now and where are we going? Human Resource Management Review, 19, 117–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnenfeld, J. (1989). Dealing with aging work force’. In L. Levinson (Ed.), Designing and managing your career. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Souza-Poza, A., & Souza Poza, A. A. (2000). Well-being at work: A cross-national analysis of the levels and determinants of job satisfaction. Journal of Socio-Economics, 29, 517–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sparr, J. L., & Sonnentag, S. (2008). Feedback environment and well-being at work: The mediating role of personal control and feelings of helplessness. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17(3), 388–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Applications, assessment, causes and consequences. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, B., & Wolfers, J. (2009). The paradox of declining female happiness. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 1(2), 190–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Economist–Bagehot. (2012, Aug 18). Generation xhausted. The Economist, p. 26.

  • Voydanoff, P. (1980). Perceived job characteristics and job satisfaction among men and women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5(2), 177–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. (1990). The measurement of well-being and other aspects of mental health. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 193–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. (1992). Age and occupational well-being. Psychology and Aging, 7(1), 37–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. (2007). Work, happiness, and unhappiness. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. (2009). Environmental ‘vitamins’, personal judgments, work values and happiness. In S. Cartwright & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of organizational well-being. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P., Cook, J., & Wall, T. (1979). Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well-being. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 52, 129–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., & Tellegen, A. (1985). Toward a consensual structure of mood. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 219–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, A. T., & Spector, P. E. (1987). An investigation of age-related factors on job-satisfaction relationship. Psychology and Aging, 2, 261–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, T. A., & Bonett, D. G. (2007). Job satisfaction and psychological well-being as non-additive predictors of workplace turnover. Journal of Management, 33, 141–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 84–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management Sciences, Universidade Portucalense, Rua Antonio Ribeiro de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

    Daniela Carvalho Wilks

  2. Faculty of Psychology, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Félix Neto

Authors
  1. Daniela Carvalho Wilks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Félix Neto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela Carvalho Wilks.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wilks, D.C., Neto, F. Workplace Well-being, Gender and Age: Examining the ‘Double Jeopardy’ Effect. Soc Indic Res 114, 875–890 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0177-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0177-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation