Job and Life Satisfaction of Russian Mothers and Women without Children

In this paper the author presents research findings that reveal the determinants of life and job satisfaction forRussian women. After giving birth, women have to pay much more attention to their family and child than totheir work, often either quitting their job or switching to part-time work. Women experience significant changesto their everyday life-style, brought about by childbirth, which transform their job and life satisfaction levels.So, giving birth is the most important fact that has to be taken into account when analyzing women’s socialwell being. The author assumes that the factors determining job and life satisfaction are different for womenwith and without children. The paper describes the main approaches and measuring methods concerning joband life satisfaction. The data set used is generated from surveys carried out from 2000 – 2009 by the RussiaLongitudinal Monitoring Survey of HSE, RLMS. Relying on research findings, the author concludes thatmothers, compared to Russian women without children, are more satisfied with life and less satisfied with theirjob but that having children has no significant affect on job satisfaction.