Estonian Human Development Report

Figure 3.2.4. Difference in the job satisfaction of
socio-demographic groups compared to the average
level of job satisfaction
Income lower
than median
Higher
education
Secondary
education
Basic
education
Social relations are the means of satisfying an individual’s
need of belonging as well as the need for approval and
security, and thus significantly affect a person’s individual
quality of life. Paugam and Russel (2000) distinguish
three types of social relations: relations within a family
or household, relations with friends, neighbours and coworkers,
relations with social organizations and institutions
(social participation). These spheres of social relations
may reinforce each other, but the domination of one
sphere may decrease an individual’s involvement in others.
The significance of different spheres of social relations
varies in different societies. A study by Olagnero et
al. (2008) shows that among European countries, Estonia
represents the Scandinavian model, where support from
the family is less important than extra-familial support
networks. Despite this, the importance of family in one’s
quality of life should not be underestimated.
Family life. Family plays an important role in shaping a
person’s individual quality of life (Jeffers and Dobos 1995).
The primary role of the family is to provide social support,
help and a feeling of security. However, the importance of
family as an influence on a person’s quality of life is constantly
changing, depending on the stage they have reached
in their life (Kohler et al. 2005). According to the Integration
of Estonian Society: Monitoring 2008, 45% of the respondents
were relatively satisfied and 35% completely satisfied
with their family life. As expected, the level of satisfaction is
higher among people who have both a spouse/partner and
children (87%) than among people who live alone or are single
parents (66% and 70%, respectively).
It can be assumed that family life, including doing
housework and raising children, has a different effect
on men’s and women’s quality of life. Although in Estonia
women do a larger share of housework and contribute
more to raising children than men (Telpt 2008), this
difference cannot be equated with a greater dissatisfaction
with family life on the part of women, since dissatisfaction
usually arises from discrepancies between conditioned
attitudes and actual behaviour. If the greater
involvement is seen as inequality, dissatisfaction increases
(Lyonette et al. 2007) and may be expressed as a lower level
of satisfaction with life in general. According to the 2004
European Social Survey, nearly a third of the respondents
experienced disagreements related to the sharing of
housework at least once a month and the frequency of disagreements
was higher in the case of younger couples and
families with children. One fourth of the couples reported
having disagreements related to financial matters, with
money being the cause of dissension even more frequently
among younger couples (a third of respondents under 40
had finance-related disagreements with their partners at
least once a month).
In addition to their state of health, the quality of
life of older people is affected significantly by the exist-
Russianspeaking
population
Estonianspeaking
population
60–75
40–59
25–39
15–24
-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10
Source: European Social Survey 2006
tion level for people with lower incomes is 60%) and job
satisfaction is also much higher in the case of Estonians
compared to the Russian-speaking population (80% and
54%, respectively). Also, compared to younger and older
age groups, people aged 25–39 report above average job
satisfaction (Figure 3.2.4.). The higher levels of education
increase job satisfaction: more than three quarters
of people with a higher education are satisfied with their
jobs, compared to 65% among people with a basic education.
Job satisfaction among people with a higher education
may derive from their employment in management
positions. For example, it is apparent that people who feel
that the success of the organization depends on them and
their work are more satisfied with their jobs. Comparisons
of people with different employment relationships reveal
that 97% of employers and 72% of salaried employees and
self-employed individuals are satisfied with their jobs.
Reconciling work and family life. As one of the most
important areas of life, work is connected to all other
spheres of life and its impact on the quality of life is not limited
to just job security and satisfaction. The effect of work
and working on family life is especially important – finding
the balance between work and family life, the transfer
of work-related problems into family life, etc. According to
the 2006 European Social Survey, people with higher levels
of education and people with higher income employed
in management positions face the most problems related to
reconciling their work and family lives. More than half of
the respondents with a higher education believe that their
families are disturbed by their strenuous work, while one
third tend to worry about work-related problems at home
and also find that they do not have enough time to devote to
their partner and their family. Large workloads reduce the
amount of free time and opportunities to engage in activities
that provide enjoyment. Therefore, working in a higher
position has both a positive and a negative effect on one’s
quality of life. Compared to women, men are more prone to
working overtime, during weekends or in the evenings and
at night. At the same time, studies do not indicate any tendency
among men to worry more frequently than women
about work-related problems or time devoted to their family
and partner. This means that while men are more likely to
work irregular hours, they do not feel a higher level of stress
with regard to reconciling work and family life.
Social relations
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