Zijn vreemde eendjes ongelukkig?

Research focuses on influence on individual happiness of gender ratio in occupation, industry and workgroup. Previous research, showing contradictory results, does not separate these dimensions. A representative sample of Dutch labor force (16,735 men, 9,806 women) shows that belonging to the minority group in one’s occupation or industry does not have an impact on happiness for men or women. Women who form the numerical minority in their work group are significantly less happy than other women; on a 10 points’ scale the former assign themselves on average 7.25; the latter 7.34. No such difference exists for men. Regression analysis confirms the impact of work group minority position on women’s happiness; controlling for relevant demographic variables, salary and socio-economic status increases the negative impact. However, the effect is weak: variance explained by the model is 1% (women) and 2% (men). Results indicate that separating different dimensions of gender segregation is necessary.