Do Labmates Matter? The Relative Importance of Workplace Climate and Work-Life Satisfaction in Women Scientists’ Job Satisfaction

Authors

  • Tim Archie University of Colorado Boulder
  • Marina Kogan University of Colorado Boulder
  • Sandra L. Laursen University of Colorado Boulder

Keywords:

women, STEM, geoscientists, workplace climate, work-life satisfaction, job satisfaction

Abstract

Workplace climate and work-life balance are two factors that influence women’s decisions to leave or remain in a science workplace. &This study applies structural equation modeling to data from nearly 600 early-career geoscientists to examine relationships among perceptions of workplace climate, work-life satisfaction, job satisfaction and productivity. &The results include analytic path models comparing women to men, women professionals to women graduate students, and women professionals with child caregiving responsibilities to those without. &For all groups, workplace climate–measured in terms of both collegial interactions in the workplace and influence on decision-making–outweighed satisfaction with work-life balance in shaping job satisfaction, which in turn positively influences perceived productivity. &Work-life balance increased in importance and became significantly more influential for women caregivers. &The findings suggest that institutional efforts to improve workplace climate benefit all academics, while unmitigated work-life conflict may tip the balance for women’s satisfaction. & &

Author Biographies

  • Tim Archie, University of Colorado Boulder
    Timothy Archie conducted this work with& Ethnography & Evaluation Research at the University of Colorado Boulder.& He is now a research fellow at Victoria University ofWellington.
  • Marina Kogan, University of Colorado Boulder
    Marina Kogan conducted this work with Ethnography & Evaluation Research at the University of Colorado Boulder.& She is now a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder.
  • Sandra L. Laursen, University of Colorado Boulder
    Sandra L. Laursen is co-director and research associate with Ethnography & Evaluation Research at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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Published

26-10-2015

Issue

Section

Research and theoretical papers

How to Cite

Do Labmates Matter? The Relative Importance of Workplace Climate and Work-Life Satisfaction in Women Scientists’ Job Satisfaction. (2015). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 7(3), 343-368. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/369