Gender differences in job satisfaction in indian hotels part 2

7/29/2019 Gender differences in job satisfaction in indian hotels part 2

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Chapter -I

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS JOB SATISFACTION?

1.1 Indian Hospitality Industry:

The hospitality industry is considered to be the worlds fastest growing industrycontributing for nearly 10% of the worlds GDP (Boella, 2000). This increasing

importance is the result of a vigorous process of expansion undertaken in the last

decades.

Hotel industry in India has been an important industry to the Indian Economy. It is one

of the largest foreign exchange earners, to the country and also one of the largest

employers, both directly and indirectly.

The industry is characterized significantly by small unorganized players, labour-intensive

operations, seasonality, cyclicality, highly capital intensive nature and highly sensitive to

the external factors like economy, terrorism and political status. This industry has been

the main focus of the present research study.


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Table 1.1 SWOT Analysis of the Indian Hotel Industry:

Strengths

Indias rich cultural heritage

Second largest forex earner

Demand exceeds supply

Opportunities

Boom in tourism

Privatization of airlines

Increase in disposable incomes

Weaknesses

Capital intensive

Labour intensive

Non-availability of

land

Threats

Sensitive to disturbances in the

country

Competition from International

chains

High taxes may render India as

an unviable destination.


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1.2 The Reasons For Choosing This Topic:

The purpose of this study was to determine gender differences in job satisfaction of staff

in three to five-star hotels in Mumbai. While there has been some research on job

satisfaction in the hospitality industry the amount is not proportionate to the importance

of the issue. Hotel organizations can benefit from conducting their business in a more

responsible manner. This research project examines the impact on employee job

satisfaction and organizational commitment.

It is proposed that employees who work in an satisfying hotel environment will be more

loyal than employees who work in an unethical environment. Furthermore, the

researchers will focus primarily on examining any potential differences in job

satisfaction across gender.

The Hospitality industry has become a central player within the global economy. The

increasing mobility of the workforce and the globalisation process of the industry are a

reality. Organisations moving abroad are facing, more than ever, the challenge of

managing a gender balanced workforce. Hence, the importance of developing gender

sensitive selection methods is a great challenge for the industry.

The entry of women into the professional world has, without a doubt, changed the

dynamics of the workplace over the past few decades. That observation still holds true

today and becomes more prevalent with the changing face of the labour market in terms

of diversity. However, in spite of that strong overall female presence, there still exists an

unfair share between the number of women compared to the number of men holding high

managerial and executive positions.

Hence, the researchers of the study were interested in studying the hypothesis that, there


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is a significant level of difference in job satisfaction of female employees of the

hospitality industry than that of male employees. For this purpose, a survey method was

adopted wherein a questionnaire on job satisfaction will be administered on 60 hotel

employees. The sample for the research consisted of 30 males and females each,

belonging to the age group of 25 to 35 years working in 5 star Mumbai hotels of majorly

thr posts of Managers and Assistant managers. The research design that was used was a

descriptive survey type.


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Chapter -I

I

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of Important Terms:

The definitions of terms used throughout this study are presented below.

Job Satisfaction: the subjective pleasurable emotional state resulting from hotel

employees job experiences based on Locke (1976).

Intrinsic Factors: factors that, when present in a job, can build strong levelsof employee

motivation and satisfaction that can result ingood job performance, as defined by

Herzberg (1966: 72-73) including achievement, recognition, advancement,responsibility

and the work itself.

Extrinsic Factors: factors that may result in employee dissatisfaction when not present

in the job environment, as defined by Herzberg(1966: 72-73) including policies and

administration,supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relations,salary, status and

job security.

Job Facets: the nine subdivisions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors as defined by Spector

(1985) including those correspondingto Herzbergs intrinsic factors (promotion,

contingentrewards, nature of the work, and communication) andextrinsic factors (pay,

supervision, benefits, operatingconditions and coworkers).


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2.2 Definition of Job Satisfaction :

Job satisfaction is defined as a worker's sense of achievement and success. Job

satisfaction implies that a person is doing a job they like, doing it well, and being

rewarded for it.

Job satisfaction describes how happy an individual is with his or her job. The happier

people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Logic would dictate that

the most satisfied (happy) workers should be the best performers and vice versa. This is

called the "happy worker" hypothesis. However, this hypothesis is not well supported,

as job satisfaction is not the same as motivation or aptitude, although they may be clearly

linked. A primary influence on job satisfaction is the application of Job design, which

aims to enhance job satisfaction and performance using methods such as job rotation, job

enlargement, job enrichment and job re-engineering.Other influences on satisfaction

include management styles and culture, employee involvement, empowerment, and

autonomous work position. Job satisfaction is a very important attribute and is frequently

measured by organizations.

The most common technique for measurement is the use of rating scales where

employees report their thoughts and reactions to their jobs. Questions can relate to rates

of pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional opportunities, the work itself,

and co-workers. Some examinations present yes-or-no questions while others ask to rate

satisfaction using a 1-to-5 scale, where 1 represents "not at all satisfied" and 5 represents

"extremely satisfied."

2.3 History:

One of the biggest preludes to the study of job satisfaction was the Hawthorne studies.

These studies (19241933), primarily credited to Elton Mayo of the Harvard Business

School, sought to find the effects of various conditions (most notably illumination) on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual


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workers productivity. These studies ultimately showed that novel changes in work

conditions temporarily increase productivity (called the Hawthrone Effect). It was later

found that this increase resulted, not from the new conditions, but from the knowledge of

being observed. This finding provided strong evidence that people work for purposes

other than pay, which paved the way for researchers to investigate other factors in job

satisfaction.

Some argue that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, a motivation theory, laid the

foundation for job satisfaction theory. This theory explains that people seek to satisfy five

specific needs in life physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs,

and self-actualization. This model served as a good basis from which early researchers

could develop job satisfaction theories.

Job satisfaction can also be seen within the broader context of the range of issues which

affect an individual's experience of work, or their quality of working life. Job satisfaction

can be understood in terms of its relationships with other key factors, such as general

well-being, stress at work, control at work, home-work interface, and working conditions.

2.4 Models and Theories of job satisfaction:

Affect theory

Edwin A. Lockes Range of Affect Theory (1976) is arguably the most famous job

satisfaction model. The main premise of this theory is that satisfaction is determined by

a discrepancy between what one wants in a job and what one has in a job. Further,

the theory states that how much one values a given facet of work (e.g. the degree of

autonomy in a position) moderates how satisfied/dissatisfied one becomes when

expectations are/arent met. When a person values a particular facet of a job, his

satisfaction is more greatly impacted both positively (when expectations are met) and

negatively (when expectations are not met), compared to one who doesnt value that

facet. To illustrate, if Employee A values autonomy in the workplace and Employee B is


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indifferent about autonomy, then Employee A would be more satisfied in a position that

offers a high degree of autonomy and less satisfied in a position with little or no

autonomy compared to Employee B. This theory also states that too much of a particular

facet will produce stronger feelings of dissatisfaction the more a worker values that facet.

Dispositional theory

Another well-known job satisfaction theory is the Dispositional Theory. It is a very

general theory that suggests that people have innate dispositions that cause them to have

tendencies toward a certain level of satisfaction, regardless of ones job. This approach

became a notable explanation of job satisfaction in light of evidence that job satisfaction

tends to be stable over time and across careers and jobs. Research also indicates that

identical twins have similar levels of job satisfaction.

A significant model that narrowed the scope of the Dispositional Theory was the Core

Self-Evaluations Model, proposed by Timothy A. Judge, Edwin A. Locke, and Cathy C.

Durham in 1997. Judge et al. argued that there are four Core Self-Evaluations that

determine ones disposition towards job satisfaction: self-esteem, general self efficacy,

locus of control and nueroticism. This model states that higher levels of self-esteem (the

value one places on his/her self) and general self-efficacy (the belief in ones own

competence) lead to higher work satisfaction. Having an internal locus of control

(believing one has control over her\his own life, as opposed to outside forces having

control) leads to higher job satisfaction. Finally, lower levels of neuroticism lead to

higher job satisfaction.

Opponent process theory

According to opponent process theory, emotional events, such as criticisms or rewards,

elicits two sets of processes. Primary processes give way to emotions that are steady with

the event in question. Events that seem negative in manner will give rise to the feelings of

stress or anxiety. Events that are positive give rise to the feeling of content or relaxation.

The other process is the opponent process, which induces feelings that contradict the

feelings in the primary processes. Events that are negative give rise to feelings of


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relaxation while events that are positive give rise to feelings of anxiety. A variety of

explanations have been suggested to explain the uniformity of mood or satisfaction. This

theory shows that if you try to enhance the mood of individual it will more likely fail in

doing so. The opponent process theory was formulated to explain these patterns of

observations.

Equity theory

Equity Theory shows how a person views fairness in regard to social relationships.

During a social exchange, a person identifies the amount of input gained from a

relationship compared to the output, as well as how much effort another persons puts

forth.Equity Theory suggests that if an individual thinks there is an inequality between

two social groups or individuals, the person is likely to be distressed because the ratio

between the input and the output are not equal.

For example, consider two employees who work the same job and receive the same

benefits. If one individual gets a pay raise for doing the same or less work than the other,

then the less benefited individual will become distressed in his workplace. If, on the other

hand, one individual gets a pay raise and new responsibilities, then the feeling of

inequality is reduced.

Discrepancy theory

The concept of discrepancy theory explains the ultimate source of anxiety and dejection.

An individual, who has not fulfilled his responsibility feels the sense of anxiety and

regret for not performing well, they will also feel dejection due to not being able to

achieve their hopes and aspirations. According to this theory, all individuals will learn

what their obligations and responsibilities for a particular function, over a time period,

and if they fail to fulfill those obligations then they are punished.

Over time, these duties and obligations consolidate to form an abstracted set of

principles, designated as a self-guide.Agitation and anxiety are the main responses when

an individual fails to achieve the obligation or responsibility. This theory also explains


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that if achievement of the obligations is obtained then the reward can be praise, approval,

or love. These achievements and aspirations also form an abstracted set of principles,

referred to as the ideal self guide.When the individual fails to obtain these rewards, they

begin to have feelings of dejection, disappointment, or even depression.

Two-factor theory (motivator-hygiene theory)

Frederick Herberg's Two-Factor theory (also known as Motivator Hygiene Theory)

attempts to explain satisfaction and motivation in the workplace.This theory states that

satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different factors motivation and hygiene

factors, respectively. An employees motivation to work is continually related to job

satisfaction of a subordinate. Motivation can be seen as an inner force that drives

individuals to attain personal and organizational goals (Hoskinson, Porter, & Wrench).

Motivating factors are those aspects of the job that make people want to perform, and

provide people with satisfaction, for example achievement in work, recognition,

promotion opportunities. These motivating factors are considered to be intrinsic to the

job, or the work carried out. Hygiene factors include aspects of the working environment

such as pay, company policies, supervisory practices, and other working conditions.

While Hertzberg's model has stimulated much research, researchers have been unable to

reliably empirically prove the model, with Hackman & Oldham suggesting that

Hertzberg's original formulation of the model may have been a methodological

artifact.Furthermore, the theory does not consider individual differences, conversely

predicting all employees will react in an identical manner to changes in

motivating/hygiene factors. Finally, the model has been criticised in that it does not

specify how motivating/hygiene factors are to be measured.

Job characteristics model

Hackman & Oldham proposed the Job Characteristics Model, which is widely used as a

framework to study how particular job characteristics impact on job outcomes, including

job satisfaction. The model states that there are five core job characteristics (skill variety,

task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) which impact three critical


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psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility for

outcomes, and knowledge of the actual results), in turn influencing work outcomes (job

satisfaction, absenteeism, work motivation, etc.). The five core job characteristics can be

combined to form a motivating potential score (MPS) for a job, which can be used as an

index of how likely a job is to affect an employee's attitudes and behaviors. A meta-

analysis of studies that assess the framework of the model provides some support for the

validity of the JCM.

2.5 Factors That Influence Job Satisfaction:

1. Environmental factors

Communication overload and communication underload

One of the most important aspects of an individuals work in a modern organization

concerns the management of communication demands that he or she encounters on the

job. Demands can be characterized as a communication load, which refers to the rate

and complexity of communication inputs an individual must process in a particular time

frame. Individuals in an organization can experience communication over-load and

communication underload which can affect their level of job satisfaction.

Communication overload can occur when an individual receives too many messages in a

short period of time which can result in unprocessed information or when an individual

faces more complex messages that are more difficult to process.

Due to this process, given an individuals style of work and motivation to complete a

task, when more inputs exist than outputs, the individual perceives a condition of

overload which can be positively or negatively related to job satisfaction. In comparison,

communication under load can occur when messages or inputs are sent below the

individuals ability to process them.According to the ideas of communication over-load

and under-load, if an individual does not receive enough input on the job or is

unsuccessful in processing these inputs, the individual is more likely to become

dissatisfied, aggravated, and unhappy with their work which leads to a low level of job


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satisfaction.

Superior-subordinate communication

Superior-subordinate communication is an important influence on job satisfaction in the

workplace. The way in which subordinates perceive a supervisor's behavior can

positively or negatively influence job satisfaction. Communication behavior such as

facial expression, eye contact, vocal expression, and body movement is crucial to the

superior-subordinate relationship (Teven). Nonverbal messages play a central role in

interpersonal interactions with respect to impression formation, deception, attraction,

social influence, and emotional.Nonverbal immediacy from the supervisor helps to

increase interpersonal involvement with their subordinates impacting job satisfaction.

The manner in which supervisors communicate with their subordinates non-verbally may

be more important than the verbal content (Teven). Individuals who dislike and think

negatively about their supervisor are less willing to communicate or have motivation to

work whereas individuals who like and think positively of their supervisor are more

likely to communicate and are satisfied with their job and work environment. A

supervisor who uses nonverbal immediacy, friendliness, and open communication lines is

more likely to receive positive feedback and high job satisfaction from a subordinate.

Conversely, a supervisor who is antisocial, unfriendly, and unwilling to communicate will

naturally receive negative feedback and create low job satisfaction in their subordinates

in the workplace.

Effective human resources practices lead to positive financial outcomes

A Watson Wyatt Worldwide study identified a positive outcome between a collegical and

flexible work enviornment and an increase in shareholder value. Suggesting that

employee satisfaction is directly related to financial gain. Over 40 percent of the

companies listed in the top 100 of Fortune magazines, Americas Best Companies to

Work For also appear on the Fortune 500. It is possible that successful workers enjoy

working at successful companies, however, the Watson Wyatt Worldwide Human Capital


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Index study claims that effective human resources practices lead to positive financial

outcomes more often than positive financial outcomes lead to good practices.

2. Individual factors

Emotion

Mood and emotions form the affective element of job satisfaction. Moods tend to be

longer lasting but often weaker states of uncertain origin, while emotions are often more

intense, short-lived and have a clear object or cause.

Some research suggests moods are related to overall job satisfaction.Positive and

negative emotions were also found to be significantly related to overall job satisfaction.

Frequency of experiencing net positive emotion will be a better predictor of overall job

satisfaction than will intensity of positive emotion when it is experienced.

Emotion work (or emotion management) refers to various types of efforts to manage

emotional states and displays. Emotion management includes all of the conscious and

unconscious efforts to increase, maintain, or decrease one or more components of an

emotion. Although early studies of the consequences of emotional work emphasized its

harmful effects on workers, studies of workers in a variety of occupations suggest that the

consequences of emotional work are not uniformly negative.

It was found that suppression of unpleasant emotions decreases job satisfaction and the

amplification of pleasant emotions increases job satisfaction.

The understanding of how emotion regulation relates to job satisfaction concerns two

models:

*Emotional dissonance. Emotional dissonance is a state of discrepancy between

public displays of emotions and internal experiences of emotions, that often

follows the process of emotion regulation. Emotional dissonance is associated

with high emotional exhaustion, low organizational commitment, and low job

satisfaction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_dissonancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_dissonance


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* Social interaction model. Taking the social interaction perspective, workers

emotion regulation might beget responses from others during interpersonal

encounters that subsequently impact their own job satisfaction. For example: The

accumulation of favorable responses to displays of pleasant emotions might

positively affect job satisfaction.

* Genetics

It has been well documented that genetics influence a variety of individual differences.

Some research suggests genetics also play a role in the intrinsic, direct experiences of job

satisfaction like challenge or achievement (as opposed to extrinsic, environmental factors

like working conditions). One experiment used sets of monozygotic twins, reared apart,

to test for the existence of genetic influence on job satisfaction.

While the results indicate the majority of the variance in job satisfaction was due to

environmental factors (70%), genetic influence is still a minor factor. Genetic heritability

was also suggested for several of the job characteristics measured in the experiment, such

as complexity level, motor skill requirements, and physical demands.

Personality

Some research suggests an association between personality and job satisfaction.

Specifically, this research describes the role of negative affectivity and positive

affectivity. Negative affectivity is related strongly to the personality trait of neuroticism.

Individuals high in negative affectivity are more prone to experience less job satisfaction.

Positive affectivity is related strongly to the personality trait ofextraversion. Those high

in positive affectivity are more prone to be satisfied in most dimensions of their life,

including their job. Differences in affectivity likely impact how individuals will perceiveobjective job circumstances like pay and working conditions, thus affecting their

satisfaction in that job.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroticismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_affectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroticismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion


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2.6 Job Satisfaction And Measurement Tools:

Smith; Kendall; & Hulin (1969) developed the Job Descriptive Index (JDI).

Theybased their work in developing a tool for measuring job satisfaction on

Herzbergsprevious theoretical work. The JDI has become one of the most

popular facet scalesamong organizational researchers, and it may have been the

most carefully developedand validated. The scale assesses five facets: pay,

promotions, coworkers, supervision, and the work itself. Many users of the scale

have summed the five facet scores into an overall score, although this practice is

not recommended by Smith and her associates (Ironson et al., 1989).

The entire scale contains 72 statements with either 9, or 18 items per facet. Each item is

composed of an evaluative adjective, or short phrase that is descriptive of a job facet.

Responses are Yes, Uncertain, or No. For each facet scale, a brief explanation is

provided, followed by the items concerning that facet. Both favorable, or positively

worded and unfavorable, or negatively worded items are provided. There is an extensive

body of literature in which this scale has been used. Cook. (1981) listed more than 100

published studies that used the JDI. Thus, extensive normative data are available for

potential users of the scale. The facets also have very good reliabilities. The very

extensive body of research using the scale provides good validation evidence. Perhaps the

biggest limitation of the scale is that it is limited to only five facets, although these are

five of the most frequently assessed. In addition, there has been some criticism that

particular items might not apply to all employee groups.

However, this criticism is probably true of all job satisfaction scales. The JDI is

copyrighted and a fee is required for its use, even though it is one of the most popular

scales.


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Spector s Job Satisfaction Survey

Paul Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS). Working on

the basis of Herzbergs Two-factor Theory, he sought to develop a tool for measuring job

satisfaction. This was accomplished by using attitude scale construction techniques with

summated (Likert) rating scales. Spectors method for developing the JSS is presented

here after. First, the domains of interest were defined. To accomplish this, a literature

review was conducted including studies of job satisfaction facets (subdivisions of the

intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction factors). Many of the studies reviewed

includedfactor analyses employing existing or ad hoc instruments to determine the

underlyingfacets of satisfaction.

Other studies were conceptual analyses of satisfaction facets.From each study, a list of

facets was made and the ten most common and conceptually meaningful to Spector were

chosen for inclusion in the scale. These ten facets adequately sampled the domains of job

satisfaction so that a combined score (sum of all subdivisions, or facets) would yield a

good measure of overall satisfaction. These ten facets included satisfaction with pay,

promotion, supervision, benefits, contingent rewards, operating conditions, coworkers,

nature of the work, communication, and work conditions. Statements were written to

characterize each of the ten facets to be included in the survey. Some facets had more

statements than others because the domain areas varied in specificity and breadth. A total

of 74 items were compiled for inclusion in the first version of the survey.

The JSS used the summated rating scale format with six agree-disagree response choices:

disagree strongly, disagree moderately, disagree slightly, agree slightly, agree moderately,

and agree strongly. These response choice intervals were approximately equal

psychologically and were scored from 1 to 6, respectively.

Approximately half of the items were written in a positively worded direction and half in

a negatively worded direction. Each item was an evaluative statement, agreement with

which would indicate either a positive or negative attitude about the job. The initial

statement pool was administered to a small pilot sample of 49 employees of a community


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mental health center in the southeastern United States. Partwhole correlations were

calculated for each statement in each facet. Those items were

retained that had a part-whole of at least 0.45.

This left 34 items with no more than 4 statements per facet; 2 additional items were

written to equalize the items per facet at each, and this became the final list of statements

included in the survey. All facets remained as conceptualized originally, except for work

conditions. This facet originally contained the most items and included both physical

conditions, such as equipment and the physical environment, and operational conditions,

such as rules, procedures, and red tape. Only the latter items were retained and this facet

was renamed operating conditions. This process reduced the first JSS from ten facets tonine facets in the final version.

Spectors final JSS assesses nine facets of job satisfaction (Spector. 1985). A description

of the facets and example statements from each are presented below.

1. Pay: amount and fairness or equity of salary (I feel I am being paid a fair

amount for the work I do.)

2. Promotion: opportunities and fairness of promotions (I am satisfied with my

chances for promotion.)

3. Supervision: fairness and competence at managerial tasks by ones

supervisor (My supervisor is quite competent in doing his job.)

4. Benefits: insurance: vacation, and other fringe benefits (The benefits I

receive are as good as most other organizations offer.)

5. Contingent rewards: sense of respect, recognition, and appreciation (When

I do a good job, I receive the recognition for it that I should receive.)

6. Operating conditions: policies, procedures, rules and perceived red tape

(Many of organizational rules and procedures make doing a good job

easy.)

7. Co-workers: perceived competence and writing (I know what is going on with the


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organization.)

Each of the nine facets can produce a separate facet score.

2.7 Practical implications:

Job Satisfaction can be indicative of work behaviors such as organizational citizenship

and withdrawal behaviors such as absenteeism and turnover. Further, job satisfaction can

partially mediate the relationship of personality variables and deviant work behaviors.

One common research finding is that job satisfaction is correlated with life satisfaction.

This correlation is reciprocal, meaning people who are satisfied with life tend to be

satisfied with their job and people who are satisfied with their job tend to be satisfied

with life. However, some research has found that job satisfaction is not significantly

related to life satisfaction when other variables such as nonwork satisfaction and core

self-evaluations are taken into account.

An important finding for organizations to note is that job satisfaction has a rather tenuous

correlation to productivity on the job. This is a vital piece of information to researchersand businesses, as the idea that satisfaction and job performance are directly related to

one another is often cited in the media and in some non-academic management literature.

A recent meta-analysis found surprisingly low correlations between job satisfaction and

performance. Further, the meta-analysis found that the relationship between satisfaction

and performance can be moderated by job complexity, such that for high-complexity jobs

the correlation between satisfaction and performance is higher than for jobs of low to

moderate complexity.

Additionally, one longitudinal study indicated that among work attitudes, job satisfaction

is a strong predictor of absenteeism, suggesting that increasing job satisfaction and

organizational commitment are potentially good strategies for reducing absenteeism and
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turnover intentions. Recent research has also shown that intention to quit alone can have

negative effects on performance, organizational deviance, and organizational citizenship

behaviours. In short, the relationship of satisfaction to productivity is not as

straightforward as often assumed and can be influenced by a number of different work-

related constructs, and the notion that "a happy worker is a productive worker" should not

be the foundation of organizational decision-making. For example, employee personality

may even be more important than job satisfaction in regards to performance.

JOB SATISFACTION IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

2.8 Perceptions Of Different Authors:

The level ofjob satisfaction is determined by four factors: Management Conditions,

Personal Fulfilment, Using Ability in the Job, and Job Conditions. The study results

show that significant gender differences exist with regard to the Using Ability in the Job

dimension ofjob satisfaction. After controlling such variables as age, marital status,

monthly income level, education, type ofdepartment, position held, length oftime in the

organization, length of time in the tourism sector, and frequency ofjob change, most

gender differences remained significant.

Job satisfaction is a frequently studied subject in the work and organizational literature.

This is mainly due to the fact that many experts believe that job satisfaction trends can

affect labour market behaviour and influence work productivity, work effort, employee

absenteeism and staffturnover.


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Job satisfaction has been defined in several ways by different authors.

Mullins (2005) perceived job satisfaction as more ofan attitude, an internal state and it

could be associated with a personal feelings of achievement either qualitative or

quantitative.

Robins (2001) saw job satisfaction as an individual general attitude towards his or her

job. Riggio (2000) also believed job satisfaction to be the feelings and attitude one has

about his job. He further stated that all aspects of a particular job good and bad, positive

and negative are likely to contribute to the development of feelings of satisfaction or

dissatisfaction.

Locke (1976) gave a comprehensive definition ofjob satisfaction as involving cognitive,

affective and evaluative reactions or attitude and states that it is a pleasurable or positive

emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or experience. Spector (1997)

defined job satisfaction as a cluster ofevaluative feelings about the job and identifies nine

factors ofjob satisfaction as pay, promotion, supervision, benefits, contingent, rewards,

communication. Recent studies by Ehrenberg (2003), Zoghi (2003) and Robst, Van

Gilder and Polacheck (2003) found that women are no less satisfied than men.

They further suggested that female workers should have the same expectations as

their male counterparts and so the same job satisfaction. Sloane and Ward (2001)

opined that women over the age of35 have significantly job satisfaction while Hagedron

(1996) asserted that the job satisfaction offemale workers is lower when their earning fall

below the earning ofcomparable males.

Bass and Barrent (1992) opined that inherent sex differences in job satisfaction ofhotel

workers is due to the secondary position women placed their secular jobs compared to

their family. Zalenzunik, Christenson and Roethlisbeger (1958) also asserted that women

have greater job satisfaction despite the fact that female receive the same pay and had the


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same job status as their men counterparts.

Barber (1986) indicates twelve major factors ofjob satisfaction which are similar.

According to him, the correlates ofjob satisfaction are: the work itself, sense of

achievement or job challenge, responsibility, recognition, advancement or promotion,

salary, job security, good working conditions, supervision, relationship with co-workers,

organizational policies, managerial and workers commitment to organizational goals and

policies.

2.9 Influencing Factors :

1. Shift: One of the factors that can lead to satisfaction for hotel employees is their shift.

Since hotels are open 24 hours, employees who work a shift they prefer will have higher

job satisfaction.

2. Ability: If a person can do his job well and is in the right job for his skills, then he will

be more satisfied with his job. The hospitality industry offers a variety of opportunities

for people's skills, including communication skills (front desk), manual labor (cleaning),

security, and computer skills (reservations).

3. Reward: Competitive wages compared to other local hotels, health benefits, room

discounts for family, will provide a sense of reward for hotel workers.

4. Other Factors: Other factors for job satisfaction for hotel workers include: being

scheduled to work with co-workers they like, feeling valued by their supervisor, receiving

opportunities for promotion or learning.


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2.10 Importance OfJob Satisfaction in Hospitality Industry:

Employee satisfaction is essential to the success of any business. A high rate of

employee contentedness is directly related to a lower turnover rate. Thus, keeping

employees satisfied with their careers should be a major priority for every employer.

While this is a well known fact in management practices, economic downturns like the

current one seem to cause employers to ignore it.

There are numerous reasons why employees can become discouraged with their jobs

and resign, including high stress, lack of communication within the company, lack of

recognition, or limited opportunity for growth. Management should actively seek to

improve these factors if they hope to lower their turnover rate. Even in an economic

downturn, turnover is an expense best avoided.

Locke (1976) identifies two very important reasons for being concerned with the

phenomena ofjob satisfaction. First, it can lead to a happier life. Second, it contributesto other attitudes: family attitudes and the individuals job attitude. A study on job

satisfaction of family physicians by Syptak, Marsland, and Ulmer (1999) finds that job

satisfaction is also good for the employers because satisfied workers tend to be more

productive, creative, committed and will eventually contribute to higher quality patient

care and patient satisfaction.

Conversely, job dissatisfaction will cause rising financial costs due to high turnover,

absenteeism, problems oflow morale and employee conflicts in the workplace, elementsthat may compromise client outcomes (Misener, Haddock, Gleaton, & Abdul Rahman

Abu Ajamieh, 1995) .


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Advantages

* Quality ofwork improves and productivity increases because employees are in an

environment where they feel comfortable and experience job satisfaction.

* Office space overhead and costs are reduced because companies do not have to

maintain an office to support all oftheir employees

* Employee absentee average and sick leave is lower because they can work from

home with monthly, weekly, or daily deadlines

* Employee turnover is decreased reducing recruiting and training costs.

* Management staffdoes not have to worry about scheduling fluctuations they can

focus on work and specific projects.

* Management is released from all concern from personal emergencies of

employees.

Disadvantages :

* Employers have little to no supervision of employees. This makes the employers

feel they have no control over the employees and their productivity.

* With the employees working on a network attached to the company server, there

is a security concern because files, documents, and possibly private company

information can be accessed outside the office.

* Start up and maintenance costs incurred by the company for supplies used in

home offices, maintenance of computers and network systems, and installation of

intranets can be quite costly.


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2.11 Past Research Evidence :

Effects of Selected Individual Characteristics on Frontline Employee

Performance and Job Satisfaction

By Osman M. Karatepe, Orhan Uludag, Ismet Menevis

This study examines the effects of selected individual characteristics on frontline

employee performance and job satisfaction. Specifically, the study examines: (i) the

effects of trait competitiveness, self-efficacy, and effort on performance; (ii) the effects of

self-efficacy and effort on job satisfaction; and (iii) the effects of performance and job

satisfaction on intention to leave. The study uses a sample of frontline employees in

Northern Cyprus hotels. The hypothesized relationships are tested using LISREL 8.30

through path analysis. Path analysis indicates that competitiveness, self-efficacy, and

effort are significant predictors of frontline employee performance. However, the direct

effect of competitiveness on performance has been found to be stronger than that of

effort. Path analysis also demonstrates that the direct effect of self-efficacy on job

satisfaction is stronger than that of effort. Job satisfaction has been found to be negativelyassociated with intention to leave, while performance has not. In addition, various

demographic variables such as gender, age, education, and organizational tenure have

been examined as antecedents of effort, performance, job satisfaction, and intention to

leave. The inclusion of demographic variables in the equations has not changed the path-

analytic results for the hypothesized relationships. The implications of the findings and

avenues for future research are delineated in the study. Brown, Donna and McIntosh,

Steven (1998)If you're happy and you know it...job satisfaction in the low wage service

sector.CEPDP, 405. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and

Political Science, London, UK. ISBNThe issue of worker satisfaction is important both

for the sake of individuals themselves and also for employers for whom happy staff

should be productive staff. Highly satisfied staff have been shown to have lower

propensities to quit and to be absent. Whilst there have been some interesting


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contributions in this field, the existing studies are weakened by their inability to control

for workplace characteristics. Uniquely, our data set, covering three low wage sectors,

enables us to do this whilst still providing a wealth of demographic information. Using

principal components analysis we examine five measures of workers'' satisfaction and

find that individuals respond quite differently depending upon the measure of

contentment employed. We then examine which of our component forms of satisfaction

has the greatest impact on overall satisfaction. Satisfaction with short-term rewards and

long-term prospects are found to be far more influential in determining overall

satisfaction than contentment with social relationships or work intensity.

Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Internal Service Quality

A Case Study of Las Vegas Hotel/Casino Industry

The purpose of this study, was to create a case study in employee attitudes on job

satisfaction, in a major Las Vegas, Nevada hotel/casino. To accomplish this, the authors

specifically investigated the discrete level of their job satisfaction, internal service

quality, and organizational commitment. They also explored the overall impact of job

satisfaction and internal service quality on employee organizational commitment.

Currently there is no reported research on the simultaneous examination of these three

variables. The results of this study have practical applications given the size and thenature of the casino business, in which a large number of employees may be assembled in

a single location, and where employees may move easily from one property to another.


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Job satisfaction of managers in tourism:

Cases in the Antalya region of Turkey

Purpose To investigate job satisfaction of middle and upper level managers working in

5-star hotels and first-class holiday villages and to note interests of tourism professionals

regarding the subject of job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire technique was used for the sample of

102 middle- and upper-level managers. For data evaluation SPSS program was used. T-

tests, correlation, Anova and Scheffe tests were carried out.

Findings According to the findings it can be mentioned that there is a general

satisfaction among middle- and upper-level managers in the sample. This finding can be

evaluated as being hopeful according to Turkey's working conditions. In Turkey,

generally personnel have long working hours, poor physical working conditions, lack of

support from their colleagues and by international standards, insufficient salaries.

Research limitations/implications The results are limited within the sampled middle-

and upper-level managers in 5-star hotels and first-class holiday villages, so the results

cannot be generalized.

Practical implications This study can be evaluated as useful information for tourism

industry professionals regarding the subject of job satisfaction.


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Job satisfaction and gender

Why are women so happy at work?

By Andrew E. Clark

By most objective standards, women's jobs are worse than men's, yet women report

higher levels of job satisfaction than do men. This paper uses a recent large-scale British

survey to document the extent of this gender differential for eight measures of job

satisfaction and to evaluate the proposition that identical men and women in identical

jobs should be equally satisfied. Neither the different jobs that men and women do, their

different work values, nor sample selection account for the gender satisfaction

differential. The paper's proposed explanation appeals to the notion of relative well-

being, especially relative to workers' expectations. An identical man and woman with the

same jobs and expectations would indeed report identical job satisfaction, but women's

expectations are argued to be lower than men's. This hypothesis is supported by the

finding that the gender satisfaction differential disappears for the young, the higher-

educated, professionals and those in male-dominated workplaces, for all of whom there is

less likely to be a gender difference in job expectations.

2.12 JOB SATISFACTION AND GENDER :

Women bring an element of diversity that cannot be ignored. However, the fact

remains that they are still underrepresented in the managerial ranks ofmany sectors ofthe

business industry as a whole. The hospitality industry, in particular, is as much affected

by the limited number ofwomen in executive positions because womens prominence in

the high ranks oftheir organizations is fairly recent. Although, womens presence in all

ranks has started to thrive, it is not without difficulty; women are still perceived as not

strong enough to carry on great responsibilities that await them in the high levels oftheir

organizations.


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The purpose ofthis study was to identify and examine factors that female managers and

executives in the hospitality industry consider to be susceptible to influence their job

satisfaction, particularly elements that comprise the push and pull factors. Furthermore,

the study attempted to attract attention on the importance of retention initiatives for

women in all ranks ofthe organizations, and more so in the highest positions.

Hewlett and Luce (2005) in their study of the glass ceiling concept in the business

world brought forth two categories of factors that are the main causes behind women

leaving the workforce. First, there are the push factors which stipulate that women who

leave their jobs are 2 forced to opt-out ofmainstream careers because they do not find the

fulfilment they were expecting upon entering (Belkin, 2003). They are pushed away by

their organizations because they find their jobs meaningless, are not exposed to more

career opportunities, have minimal mentoring support, are not acknowledged for their

work, and experience low job satisfaction.

Then, there are the pull factors which exist outside ofthe workplace; they take form in

attending to family demands and needs such as bearing children, raising children,

attending to elderly parents, and/or enduring the pervasiveness of a highly traditionaldivision of labor at home. Moreover, while exploring the literature, the researchers

discovered that the results ofprevious studies related to business ethics and ethical

climate across gender have been inconsistent.

Some studies clearly identified significant differences between male and female

employees such as females tend to be more ethically sensitive than males (e.g., Arlow,

1991; Luthar, Bibattista, & Gautschi, 1997; Ruegger & King, 1992). Whereas, others

failed to prove differences across gender (e.g., Derry, 1989; Fritzsche, 1988; Singhapadki

& Vittel, 1991). However, many of these studies are outdated and were conducted in a

variety of organizations unrelated to the hospitality industry. Therefore, this study will

examine the current state of male and female perceptions of ethics within the hotel

industry. Many studies have been conducted around the world in relation to job


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satisfaction in the hospitality industry.

Furthermore, the literature has described job satisfaction in various ways through the

years. Hoppock (1935) viewed it as the combination ofpsychological and environmental

circumstances that cause a person to be satisfied with his or her work. Other studies saw

it as seeking fulfilment through asking whether the job met their employees physical and

psychological needs (Porter, 1962; Wolf, 1970). Locker (1969) defined it as a

pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job as achieving or

facilitating ones job values (p. 317). Smith, Kendall, and Hulin (1975) referred to job

satisfaction as the feelings employees have about their jobs in general. Agho, Price, and

Mueller (1992), approached it as the extent to which employees like their work.

However, according to Cranny, Smith and Stone (1992) there is a clear consensus in

relation to defining job satisfaction. Job satisfaction may be both intrinsic, derived from

internally mediated rewards such as the job itselfand opportunities for personal growth

and accomplishment, and extrinsic, resulting from externally mediated rewards such as

satisfaction with pay, company policies and support, supervision, fellow workers, chances

for promotion and customers (Walker, Churchill, & Ford, 1977). The extent to which

someone can actually measure and calculate those intrinsic and extrinsic aspects ofjob

satisfaction may lead researchers to confusion, wrong judgments or misinterpretations of

the results. Another important factor that hospitality organizations should examine to

determine how it relates to business ethics is their employees gender. In fact, gender has

been an important part of several studies on business ethics leading to completely

different results. Some studies pointed out that there are differences in ethical perceptions

between sexes.

For example, Albaum and Peterson (2006) noted that women showed more favorable

attitudes toward ethical behaviours than men. Other studies found that females tend to be

more ethically sensitive than males (Arlow, 1991; Luthar & Al, 1997; Ruegger & King,

1992). When Chonko and Hunt (1985) conducted a study on marketing management


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professionals, they found that female marketers are more likely to perceive ethical

problems in their activities than male marketers.

Sims and Kroeck (1994) found that female employees tend to be more committed to an

organization when their preferred ethical climate and their actual ethical work climate

match. Luthar, Bibattista, and Gautschi (1997) demonstrated that men and women had

differing perceptions of how ethical behaviour should be related to positive business

outcomes. Furthermore, their study showed that being exposed to integrative ethical

education predicted more positive attitudes towards how the current gender is as well as

how it should be. DAquila, Bean and Procario-Foley (2004) found that females

believed more than males that ethical standards strengthen a companys competitiveposition, whereas males strongly believed that ethical standards weaken a companys

competitive position.

Related Research on Gender and Job Satisfaction

The relationship between gender and job satisfaction has been examined

frequently. However, the results have been contradictory.

Some studies have shown women to be more satisfied with their jobs than men.

Khaleque; & Rahman (1987) found that there were significant differences between

some demographic variables (age, experience, social status) and job satisfaction of

industrial workers in Bangladesh. Older workers and married women were more satisfied

with their jobs than other workers. In a study of public employees at Seoul Metropolitan

Government in Korea, Kim (2005) found that women employees were more satisfied

with their jobs than men. Among the demographic variables, gender was the only

significant predictor of job satisfaction. Other studies have shown men to be more

satisfied with their jobs than women.


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Bilgic (1998) did not reach a clear conclusion about gender differences and overall job

satisfaction in Turkey, but did find a significant correlation between gender differences,

pay satisfaction and satisfaction with the physical environment. Turkish women

expressed less satisfaction with their pay and working environments than did men.

Traditional culture was of substantial importance in predicting and affecting job

satisfaction in Kuwait (Metle. 2002). Kuwaiti women employees were dissatisfied with

their jobs in the Kuwaiti government sector because of traditional cultural values. With

regard to what men and women look for in a job, the evidence is also inconsistent.

According to Mottaz (1986), at lower work levels, men focused more on intrinsic factors,

whereas women emphasized extrinsic factors. However, at managerial levels, men andwomen tended to focus equally on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Kim (2005) found

that Korean women employees at the Seoul Metropolitan Government emphasized

intrinsic factors, whereas men emphasized extrinsic factors. De Vaus; & McAllister

(1991) examined gender differences in job factors, using data collected in nine Western

European countries. Their results showed that men placed greater value. Than women on

both extrinsic and intrinsic factors and were somewhat more satisfied than women with

their jobs. In Thailand, the studies of gender and job satisfaction are also inconsistent.

Paisal (1984) studied job satisfaction of university faculty members at Srinakharinwirot

University. This study attempted to analyze the facultys job satisfaction based on their

demographic data. The results showed that women faculty members were moresatisfied

with supervision and coworkers than men. Piyaporn (2003) studied job satisfaction of

employees at Tong Roongroj Industry. This study aimed to investigate the relationships

between job satisfaction, demographic factors and corporate culture. The results revealed

that gender made no difference to job satisfaction. In conclusion, gender is one of the

most important demographic variables affecting job satisfaction. Moreover, men and

women appear to be satisfied with different facets of jobs.


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2.13 What Should the Employer Do?

The employer has a responsibility to ensure the satisfaction of all of its employees.

There are many precautions that managers can take to make certain that they are meeting

the working needs of their employees. Employers also should be more cautious during

the hiring process. Having multiple people interviewing final candidates will help ensure

that the employee will work well with the company.

During interviews, employers should ask questions relating to the type of work that the

potential employee enjoys doing. It is imperative to match the personal characteristics

and values of the employee with the organization. Employers should prepare for the

interview by doing a job assessment to see what skills are necessary for the position, then

testing applicants to see ifthey have the ability to be trained to the position and have the

skills and knowledge that correspond with the job description (Kaye & Jordan-Evans,

1999).

It is critical that during this phase, the employer give an accurate description ofthe job to

candidates so they can prepare for the challenges ahead. Managers must learn to

communicate better with lower level employees. Connection to the company gives staffa

better feeling ofbelonging and worth. Supervisors should set an example by promoting

friendly relationships with the staff so the work environment is healthier (Kaye &

Jordan-Evans, 1999). They need to learn to listen to the employees when they have a

concern or a question about the work that they are doing or the direction that the

company is taking. It is imperative that managers show respect for all employees, their

opinions, and their work. Managers need to convey a good understanding ofthe mission

and goals that the company is trying to attain so that the staff recognizes what the

organization is working toward.

Clarification, ofthe expectations associated with different positions, assists employees in

comprehending their direct relationship with the company and how their work affects that

of others. Performance reviews are a good managerial tool because they give

administrators an idea of those employees that are contributing to the organizations


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success and those who need to work harder (Branham, 2005). It also offers employees the

ability to gauge their performance. Often, employees will think that they are performing

better or worse than their managers perceive their work to be. The performance review

presents the perfect time to bring together these different perspectives, to correct negative

behavior, and to reward productivity.

Providing employees with the opportunity for growth is also a major contributor to

satisfaction. Because performing the same job becomes uninteresting, it is important to

challenge employees with work that they can accomplish but stretches their abilities

(Timpe, 1986). It is a good opportunity to see the abilities of lower level employees.

Giving employees new projects or goals allows them to become creative and skilled in

new areas. This broadens their knowledge while they become a more valuable asset to the

company. Lateral movement does not change the status ofthe employee, but helps them

learn more about different aspects of the company. Doing another job entirely gives the

employee a change ofpace and direction. The employee may find that they enjoy a

different branch ofthe workforce better than the one previously held.

Recognition of an employees hard work is essential to his or her satisfaction in the

workplace (Kaye & Jordan-Evans, 1999). Letting employees in on the decision making

processes gives those employees a feeling that their opinions are respected and that they

hold a place of importance within the company. Pay is a huge motivator for many

employees. Making the connection between money and performance motivates

employees to be more productive and to go the extra mile (Timpe, 1986).

Caring about employees on a personal level is important as well. Let them know that

the work that they do, the lives that they lead, also are ofbenefit to the company. The

employer can make sure that employees are aware of their achievements. These

employers can show appreciation for those achievements. Conversely, employers should

take notice when employees become overwhelmed and attempt to alleviate the daily

burden by adding more help when it is obviously needed.


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2.14 Conclusion ofthe literature review:

Management should have a positive effect on, and seek to support the happiness of,

the firms employees. Reasons for this are not solely to benefit the employees as

companies also stand to gain from employee satisfaction. In an economic environment

like the current one, employers often disregard the costs associated with unhappy

employees, seemingly believing that these employees are stuck in their current positions

and will tolerate unpleasant working environments.

This, however, is not the case. Many reasons for employee dissatisfaction are well within

the control of the firm and good management practices will enable a company to

diminish, or remove, those reasons. Satisfied employees will work harder for the

company and plan to stay at the company, ultimately reducing that companys labor

costs.


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Chapter -I

II

RESEARCH DESIGN

3.1 Aim:

To study the Gender Differences in job satisfaction in the hospitality industry.

3.2 Objectives Of The Research Study:

1. To find out if there exists, any differences in the Job Satisfaction Levels of male

and female employees in the hotel industry of the city Mumbai(India).

2. To determine the degree of difference, if there is any.

3. To explore valid reasons behind the difference or the non-difference.

4. To explore what factors do hotel employees think, contribute to their Job

satisfaction levels.

5. To determine the specific factors that might lead to Job Dissatisfation in Hotel

Employees.6. To throw some light on how to increase the Job satisfaction levels in hotel

employees.

7. To ascertain whether having higher job satisfaction levels in employees, benefits

the hotel industry in any way.

8. To discuss whether gender effects how individuals perceieve their Job Quality, in

general.

9. To quote and share some researches already done in the feild of Job satisfaction

and its relation to Gender.

10. To explore how Job dissatisfaction is leading to poorer quality of life in hotel

employees.

11. To observe the willingness to participate in the research project by hotel

employees.


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3.3 Methods Of Data Collection:

The researchers of this research adopted a Survey Method to collect the data needed. As

this was a descpritive research, the questionnaire method suited the most to assess the

Job satisfaction levels.

The questionnaire gives the reaserch structure and uniformity which was needed here

as there needs to be comparison made between the two genders. The questionnaire

consisted ofclose-ended and direct questions.

The participants were contacted personally by the researchers and the questionnaire was

filled in front of them. Also, in informal exploratory interview was also carried out to get

the preliminaries from the participants and to form basic rapport for the purposes of

authenticity.

3.4 Sample Design:

The questionnaire on job satisfaction was administered on 60 hotel employees. The

sample for the research consisted of 30 males and females each, belonging to the age

group of 25 to 35 years working in 5 star Mumbai hotels of majorly thr posts of

Managers and Assistant managers.


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Chapter IV

DATA ANALYSIS AND DATA INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introduction To Data Analysis Procedures Followed:

The present study sought to find out whether the employees of the hotel business were

really satisfied with their jobs or not. In doing this, it was determined the extent of the

level of their job satisfaction and how they could have been satisfied, if they had the

options of changing few things.

The objectives of this research were to identify the various factors that actually triggered

off or were responsible for the worker's satisfaction and to determine the major factor that

made them satisfied with their jobs and their corresponding efficiency. Also, this paper

seeks to determine the gender differences in job satisfaction in the hospitality industry, if

there is any!

This research was also formulated by the need to actually know the factors that motivated

hotel workers to carry out their professional duties effectively. It was indeed necessary to

know whether these hotel workers were forced by circumstances to stay in the profession

or if they were actually satisfied with their jobs. And also to find out their level of

satisfaction.

It was essentially necessary to determine the main factor that gave them the job

satisfaction or dissatisfaction. In other words, it was determined how job factors such as

pay, working conditions, relationship with boss, personnel policies and the work itself

affected the job satisfaction of the hotel workers.


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The research was conducted with 60 managerial level hotel employees ,who were chosen

randomly from various hotels in the city of Mumbai, India. The average age of the

interviewees ranged from 21years to 32 years of age. It was also gathered that most of the

employees have atleast one year of work experience respectively. Apart from the

objective data collected from these members of staff, subjective questions also played an

important role in the final findings of this research work.

The research sought to collect as much relevant data as possible. For this purpose the

questionnaire was formulated in both quantitative and qualitative fashion. The first 9

questions of the survey were objective in nature. They followed the Likert scale (i.e. The

point scale) from 1 to 6, where 1 point represented 'strongly disagree' and 6 point

represented 'strongly agree'. The respondents were supposed to encircle the option that

suited him or her the best for each option.

Next, the last three questions (question 10,11 and 12) were subjective in nature. They

were open ended which meant the participant had the freedom to expand and explain his

or her views.

The data was carefully sorted and calculated. It was then converted into means and

percentages for the purpose of comparison among the two genders. Also, for the last three

qualitative questions percentages were also derived for the total population irrespective of

the genders.

Furthermore, these percentages were represented in the form of bar diagrams, piecharts and geometric log tables for the purpose of easy access and quick glance. The

data has been presented in the following sections.


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4.2 Analysis of Quantitative Data:

The objective questions ranged from themes of satisfaction with salaries to how

meaningful the employees think their work is.

The first question was related to the employees perception of whether their salary does

justice to the amount of work they perform. The exact wordings of the question was:

I feel I am being paid a fair amount for the work I do.

Table 1

Percentages of Females and Males Question 1

Ratings 1

Disagree

very

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 6% 18% 28% 25% 9% 14%

Males 11% 18% 20% 29% 18% 4%

Fig. 1.f


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Fig. 1.m

The graph 1.m and graph1.fshow that 29% ofmale employees 'slightly agree' about the

point, 28% of female employees 'disagree slightly' on the point, 4% ofmale employees

strongly agree and 6% offemale employees strongly disagree. This means that there is a

very distinguishing line between how female hotel employees perceive their worth and

how male employees do. The women feel that the level ofperformance and hard work

they are putting in their profession, they are not being paid that much and that they

deserve better. On the contrary the men feel the opposite. They feel that their salary is

adequate.

The difference in opinion ofthe two genders even when objectively they receive the same

amount ofsalary at the same posts, could be due to various reasons, like it is probable

that the men do not put as much as effort into their work in the hotel industry as they can.

So they feel justified to be paid as much as they are. Or else, it is also possible that the


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females perceive their selfworth to be very high.

The next question reflects employees views on their likelihood ofbeing promoted. The

2nd question was :

There is really too little chance for promotion on my job."

Table 2


Ratings 1

Disagreevery

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 12% 22% 28% 18% 13% 7%

Males 4% 17% 32% 23% 7% 17%

Fig 2.f


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Fig 2.m

As represented by the figures 2.m and 2.f, 32% ofthe male employees and 28% offemale

employees moderately disagree with the question, which means that there is hardly any

difference between the perception of the male and female employees regarding this

aspect. Irrespective of the gender, the participants seem to be very satisfied with the

probability oftheir promotion at work. The graphs ofthe two genders on this questions id

similar.


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The 3rd question covers the extra benefit aspect of the job in hospitality industry. The

benefits include bonuses, perks, free hotel stays, food etc.. The exact wordings of the

question were:

I am not satisfied with the benefits I receive."

Table 3


Ratings 1

Disagree

verymuch

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 9% 10% 16% 32% 33% 0%

Males 19% 16% 19% 23% 16% 7%


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Fig 3.f

Fig. 3m

The graph 3.m and 3.f shows that female employees (33%) agree more than their male


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counterparts (23%) on the benefits being received by them apart from the basic salaries to

be dissatisfactory. Also, a striking feature seen in this question is that 0% women have

marked the point 6 which stands for completely agreeing.

This shows that the again the perception of the men and women is different regarding

what they think are benefits and how much do they think they deserve. Similar to

question 1, here too the female employees seem to be more dissatisfied than men.

The 4th question tapped on the perceptions of the employees regarding the fact of how

well they think they are recognized when they perform well. The question was as

follows:

"When I do a good job, I receive the recognition for it that I should receive."

Table 4


Ratings 1

Disagree

very

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 0% 6% 18% 34% 12% 30%Males 3% 10% 17% 21% 31% 18%


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Fig. 4f

Fig. 4m


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The graph 4.m and 4.f reflects that 31% of male respondents agree moderately while

34% offemales agree slightly with the question at hands. This result is over lapping due

to various reasons and there is hardly any striking difference regarding the recognition

being received.

In totality both the gender participants feel that whenever they perform well they are

given the required encouragement. This is a positive aspect in the data collected about the

hospitality industry.

The 5th question is related to the rules and regulations affecting the job in hotel sector.

The question is:

"Many ofour rules and procedures make doing a good job difficult."

Table 5


Ratings 1

Disagree

very

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 9% 16% 25% 25% 25% 0%

Males 3% 19% 13% 26% 22% 17%


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Fig. 5f

Fig. 5m


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The graph 5.m and 5.freflects that 26% ofmale participants agree slightly with this point

ofview. Whereas among female participants the result is very universal as 25% offemale

participants agree slightly and 25% of female employees agree moderately while 25%

disagree slightly.

This result is tricky to be interpreted with certainty, because this question was worded a

little difficulty. Many respondents asked the meaning ofit. Hence, its safer to not draw

any strong conclusions about this question.

The 6th question is about the relation that employees share at their work place with their

seniors and colleagues. The exact wordings ofthe question were:

I like the people I work with.

Table 6


Ratings 1

Disagree

verymuch

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

verymuch

Gender

Females 0% 12% 25% 0% 38% 25%

Males 0% 0% 7% 20% 57% 16%


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Fig. 6f


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Fig. 6m

The Table 6 shows that there is only a little difference in the perception ofboth males and

females as 57% offemale employees and 38% ofmale employees agree moderately to

the fact that they like the people they work with.

This is again a positive aspect obtained from the data about this industry as it tells that

employees like the company they work in. However, it should not be ignored that males

find is less comfortable to spend time and work with their colleagues than women.

The 7th question tracks down the meaning ofthe job done by the employees.

The question says I sometime feels that my job is meaningless.

Table 7


Ratings 1

Disagree

very

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 25% 9% 25% 12% 12% 17%Males 27% 13% 17% 20% 7% 16%


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Fig. 7f

Fig. 7m

The graph 7.m and 7.fshow that 27% ofmale employees strongly disagree and 16% of


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males strongly agree. While among females, 25% strongly disagree and 17% strongly

agree.

Hence, this question seems to be pretty controversial. The highest percentages for both

the genders are in extremes. So neither the views of the males and females match nor do

they differ much.

The 8th question deals with the raises being given to the employees.

The exact narration of the question was Raises are too few and far between.

Table 8


Ratings 1

Disagree

very

much

2

Disagree

moderately

3

Disagree

slightly

4

Agree

slightly

5

Agree

moderately

6

Agree

very

much

Gender

Females 9% 3% 19% 34% 25% 10%Males 1% 13% 7% 33% 27% 19%


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Fig. 8f

Fig. 8m


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The graph 8.m and 8.f represent that both the male and female counterparts agree on

question meaning that they feel they are being given less raises and after long duration of

times.

The male participants feel more strongly about this point than females.

The 9th question is in respect to a fair chance ofpromotion for the deserving employees.

The question is presented in following manner

Those who do well on the job stand a fair chance ofbeing promoted.

Table 9


Ratings 1

Disagree

verymuch

2

Disagreemoderately

3

Disagreeslightly

4

Agreeslightly

5

Agreemoderately

6

Agreevery

much

Gender

Females 3% 9% 19% 13% 9% 47%

Males 7% 3% 14% 17% 24% 36%


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Fig. 9f


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Fig. 9m

The graph shows that again both the male and female counterparts on the same side

regarding this aspect as 47% offemales and 35% ofmales strongly agree with the above

stated question. Hence no striking difference ofopinion is found regarding this.


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4.3 Analysis of Qualitative Data:

As mentioned above, that for obtaining a rich data for the research purpose the

questionnaire was scored, analyzed and interpreted, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

In the next section of this data analysis the researchers have tried to draw out common

themes from the varied views given by the respondents. This was done by analyzing the

last three open ended questions of the questionnaire used.

The ninth question sought to find out the major areas of the employees life which are

affected the most by the job timings of their profession.

The exact wordings of the question were as follows:

The areas in which job timings effect my social life.

Fig. 10t

As seen from the above Fig10.t, 31.5% the total population sample of the study feel that

their family life is the most effected by their uncertain job timings, followed by their


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ability to interact with their friends and socialize.

On this aspect the differencebetween the perceptions of the two genders has been pretty

varied. This is diagrammatically represented the pie chart 10.f and 10.m

Fig.10.f


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Fig. 10m

For instance, 40% of the male participants feel that their social life is the most effected,

as opposed to only 10% of the females feel the same. It has been observed that female

employees lay more emphasis on their personal grooming, health and attention on self

being extremely compromised due to the timings. This can also be supported by

sentences like, I do not get time to pamper myself; Night shift disturbs the body

clock; etc. written by female employees.

Another striking difference seen is that older female participants have added the aspect

of the responsibilities towards their children. Few feel that this industry does not give

enough time as maternity leave. This aspect has not been pointed out by the males. On

the other hand an aspect only pointed out by the men and not by the women is that of

sports. Few men strongly feel that their time devoted for sports and hobbies has been

completely slashed out because of their profession.

Here it is important to note that few respondents did not ans

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Gender differences in job satisfaction in indian hotels part 2

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