Gender mix prescription: Is it the cure for job satisfaction and retention?

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of gender composition within general practices on overall job satisfaction, its associated lower-level domains, service quality and retention rates of general practitioners (GPs). Using data from the nationally representative Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) panel, we estimate an individual fixed-effects model and address potential endogeneity in several ways. We show that an increase in the female share of GPs within a practice positively influences overall job satisfaction and various well-being components, with female GPs driving the effects. However, increasing the female share negatively affects several domains of job satisfaction if it reduces gender diversity, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balanced gender composition within practices. To obtain an equivalent effect on overall job satisfaction, gross annual earnings would need to increase by approximately AU$406,400. Additionally, our findings show positive effects on retention intentions. Potential mechanisms include a greater understanding of work-life balance among colleagues, stronger workplace support, and reduced job-related stress.