Akademische Zufriedenheit: Wer bleibt, wer geht?
Bewertung der Zufriedenheit an deutschsprachigen Hochschulen
Schlagwörter:
Publikationsdruck, Arbeitszufriedenheit, Arbeitsplatzsicherheit, ArbeitsbedingungenAbstract
Der Beitrag diskutiert, wie Arbeitsbedingungen mit der Arbeitszufriedenheit von Wissenschaftler:innen an Hochschulen zusammenhängen und ob sich geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede zeigen. Für Wissenschaftler:innen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz zeigt die Auswertung der Daten des »Zurich Survey of Academics« (2020, N = 13.459), dass der zunächst messbare Unterschied in der Arbeitszufriedenheit zwischen Männern und Frauen verschwindet, sobald Arbeitsbedingungen berücksichtigt werden. Arbeitszufriedenheit hängt eng mit Autonomie, Sinnhaftigkeit der Arbeit und einem kollegialen Umfeld zusammen, während hohe Arbeitsbelastung, niedrige Löhne sowie starker Publikations- und Drittmitteldruck negative Effekte haben. Zwischen den Geschlechtern zeigen sich Unterschiede: Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten steigern besonders bei Männern die Zufriedenheit, während Frauen unter Wettbewerbsdruck stärker leiden als Männer. Die Befunde verweisen auf strukturelle Ansatzpunkte zur Förderung von Zufriedenheit und Verbleib in der Wissenschaft.
This article discusses how working conditions are related to the job satisfaction of academics and whether gender differences emerge. For academics in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the analysis of data from the »Zurich Survey of Academics« (2020, N = 13,459) shows that the initially measurable difference in job satisfaction between men and women disappears once working conditions are taken into account. Job satisfaction is closely linked to autonomy, meaningful work, and a collegial environment, while high workloads, low pay, and strong publication and funding pressures have negative effects. Differences emerge in that men report higher satisfaction when they have better opportunities for advancement, while women report lower job satisfaction when experiencing competitive pressure, unlike men. The findings point to structural levers for fostering satisfaction and retention in academia.
References
Acker, Joan 1990: Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations. Gender & Society, vol. 4, no. 2, 139–158.
Bentley, Peter James / Hamish, Coates / Dobson, Ian R. / Goedegebuure, Leo / Meek, V. Lynn 2013: Introduction: Satisfaction around the World? In Peter J. Bentley / Hamish Coates / Ian R. Dobson / Leo Goedegebuure / Lynn V. Meek (eds.), Job satisfaction Around the Academic World. Dordrecht: Springer, 1–11.
Bozeman, Barry / Gaughan, Monica 2011: Job Satisfaction among University Faculty: Individual, Work, and Institutional Determinants. The Journal of Higher Education, vol. 82, no. 2, 154–186.
Castellacci, Fulvio / Viñas-Bardolet, Clara 2021: Permanent Contracts and Job Satisfaction in Academia: Evidence from European Countries. Studies in Higher Education, vol. 46, no. 9, 1866–1880.
Cerci, Pervin Ahu / Dumludag, Devrim 2019: Life Satisfaction and Job Satisfaction among University Faculty: The Impact of Working Conditions, Academic Performance and Relative Income. Social Indicators Research, vol. 144, 785–806.
Daly, Cheryl J. / Dee, Jay R. 2006: Greener Pastures: Faculty Turnover Intent in Urban Public Universities. The Journal of Higher Education, vol. 77, no. 5, 776–803.
Drennan, Jonathan / Clarke, Marie / Hyde, Abbey / Politis, Yurgos 2013: The Research Function of the Academic Profession in Europe. In Ulrich Teichler / Ester A. Höhle (eds.), The Work Situation of the Academic Profession in Europe: Findings of a Survey in Twelve Countries. Dordrecht: Springer, 109–136.
Filiz, Zeynep 2014: An analysis of the Levels of Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction of the Academic Staff. Social Indicators Research, vol. 116, 793–808.
Flory, A. Jeffrey / Leibbrandt, Andreas / List, John A. 2015: Do Competitive Workplaces Deter Female Workers? A Large-scale Natural Field Experiment on Job Entry Decisions. The Review of Economic Studies, 82(1), 122–155.
Goastellec, Gaele / Pekari, Nicolas 2013: Gender Differences and Inequalities in Academia: Findings in Europe. In Ulrich Teichler / Ester A. Höhle (eds.), The Work Situation of the Academic Profession in Europe: Findings of a Survey in Twelve Countries. Dordrecht: Springer, 109–136.
Hagedorn, Linda Serra 2000: Conceptualizing Faculty Job Satisfaction: Components, Theories, and Outcomes. New Directions for Institutional Research, vol. 105, 5–20.
Herzberg, Frederik / Mausner, Bernard / Snyderman, Barbara B. 1959: The Motivation to Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Höhle, Ester A / Teichler, Ulrich 2013: Determinants of Academic Job Satisfaction in Germany. In Peter J. Bentley / Hamish Coates / Ian R. Dobson / Leo Goedegebuure / Lynn V. Meek (eds.), Job Satisfaction around the Academic World. Dordrecht: Springer, 125–143.
Kwiek, Marek / Antonowicz, Dominik 2013: Academic Work, Working Conditions and Job Satisfaction. In Ulrich Teichler / Ester A. Höhle (eds.), The Work Situation of the Academic Profession in Europe: Findings of a Survey in Twelve Countries. Dordrecht: Springer, 37–54.
Llobet, Joan / Fito, Angels M. 2013: Organizational Commitment, Job satisfaction and Intention to Stay: Literature Review. Intangible Capital, vol. 9, no. 4, 1068–1079.
Locke, Edwin. A. 1976: The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally, 1297–1343.
Machado-Taylor, Maria de Lourdes / White, Kate / Gouveia, Odilia 2014: Job Satisfaction of Academics: Does Gender Matter? Higher Education Policy, vol. 27, 363–384.
McInnis, Craig / Anderson, Malcolm 2005: Academic Work Satisfaction in the Wake of Institutional Reforms in Australia. In Anthony Welch (ed.), The Professoriate: Profile of a Profession. Higher Education Dynamics series, vol. 7. Dordrecht: Springer, 133–145.
Nielsen, Mathias Wullum 2017: Reasons for Leaving the Academy: A Case Study on the ›Opt out‹ Phenomenon Among Younger Female Researchers. Gender, Work & Organization, vol. 24, no. 2, 134–155.
Raabe, Isabel J. / Ehlert, Alexander / Johann, David / Rauhut, Heiko 2020: Satisfaction of Scientists during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, vol. 7, no. 1, 1–7.
Rauhut, Heiko / Johann, David / Jerke, Julia / Rathmann, Justus / Velicu, Antonia 2021: The Zurich Survey of Academics: Methods, Design, and Data. Zurich Open Repository and Archive. doi.org/10.5167/uzh-204689.
Rauhut, Heiko / Johann, David / Jerke, Julia / Rathmann, Justus / Velicu, Antonia 2024: Zurich Survey of Academics (Version 1.0) [Data set]. doi.org/10.485 73/3tgw-0y57.
Shin, Jung Cheol / Jung, Jisun 2014: Academics Job Satisfaction and Job Stress Across Countries in the Changing Academic Environments. Higher Education, vol. 67, 603–620.
Spoon, Katie / LaBerge, Nicholas / Wapman, K. Hunter / Zhang, Sam / Morgan, Allison C. / Galesic, Mirta / Fosdick, Bailey K. / Larremore, Daniel B. / Clauset, Aaron 2023: Gender and Retention Patterns Among US Faculty. Science Advances, vol. 9, no. 42, eadi2205.
Ward, E. Melanie / Sloane, Peter J. 2000: Non‐pecuniary Advantages versus Pecuniary Disadvantages; Job Satisfaction Among Male and Female Academics in Scottish Universities. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, vol. 47, no. 3, 273–303.
Webber, Karen L. / Rogers, Samantha M. 2018: Gender Differences in Faculty Member Job Satisfaction: Equity Forestalled? Research in Higher Education, vol. 59, 1105–1132.
Woodhams, Carol /Trojanowski, Grzegorz / Wilkinson, Krystal 2022: Merit Sticks to Men: Gender Pay Gaps and (In)equality at UK Russell Group Universities. Sex Roles, vol. 86, no. 9, 544–558.
Würth, Stephanie / Brunner, Romaine /Gorin, Simon 2024: Vielfältige Karrieren von Postdoktorierenden: Herausforderungen und Chancen. https://data.snf.ch/stories/ctc-18-postdoc-karrieren-de.html, letzter Aufruf am 1. August 2025.
Zhu, Yanhan 2013: A Review of Job Satisfaction. Asian Social Science, vol. 9, no. 1, 293.
