Gender Perceptions of Software Developers' Job Satisfaction

In a competitive market, Information Technology (IT) organisations must retain their most valuable assets, namely the IT employees, specifically software developers. Employee job satisfaction is important for organisations because it influences employee motivation, productivity and commitment to the organisation. The link between gender and job satisfaction has been extensively researched, however limited research has been conducted in the IT industry in South Africa. It is therefore necessary to understand the factors that influence job satisfaction in the IT industry for each gender. Evaluating the career satisfaction of software developers and their intent to remain in their current positions are important for IT organisations. The literature review for this study focused on motivating and hygiene factors that influence job satisfaction and the intention to resign in the IT industry. This research study used a positivistic approach and a quantitative survey. The study established that statistically significant differences regarding gender exist for different factors influencing job satisfaction and the intention to resign at a large South African IT organisation. Gender related statistical differences were found for the factors Career Development, Career Advancement, Leadership, Working Environment - Onsite, Working Environment - Home, Corporate Culture, Company Reputation, Rewards, Purpose, Job Security and Intention to Resign. However, for the factors Job Satisfaction and Organisational Commitment no statistical significant differences were found between male and female software developers. The study is the first study investigating gender differences on job satisfaction and intention to resign in the IT industry in South Africa.