The influence of perceptions of gender discrimination in the workplace on depressive symptoms among Korean working women: The moderating role of job satisfaction

Rationale: While previous research has primarily examined the mental health implications of experiencing racial or gender discrimination in the workplace within a Western context, there remains a gap in understanding the impact of perceptions of workplace gender discrimination (WGD) on mental health in Asian countries. Additionally, the potential moderating role of job satisfaction in this relationship is yet to be thoroughly explored. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is an association between perceptions of WGD and depressive symptoms, independent of an individual's personal experiences of workplace discrimination. This study also examined whether this association is moderated by job satisfaction, distinguishing between intrinsic satisfaction (related to recognition of performance and achievement) and extrinsic satisfaction (related to wages, workplace relationships, and welfare). Methods: The data utilized for this study were collected from 2170 employed women over four waves (eight years) of the Korea Women Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, between 2012 and 2020. Fixed effects (FE) models were utilized to account for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Results: FE estimates indicated that perceptions of WGD is significantly associated with an increase in depressive symptoms (b = 0.577, p < 0.001), even after controlling for personal experiences of workplace discrimination. Interaction analyses further revealed that this association is moderated by extrinsic job satisfaction (b = -0.318, p < 0.05), but not intrinsic job satisfaction. Conclusion: The perceptions of WGD may be a potential pathway by which gender inequalities at the workplace harms women's mental health. Interventions to reduce gender discrimination and enhance extrinsic job satisfaction may contribute to improving the mental health of working women.