Gender Discrimination, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Sector: A Comparative Study of Nurses in Public and Private Hospitals in Central Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Workplace gender discrimination is still a structural and cultural problem, especially in fields like nursing where women predominate. This study looks at how gender discrimination affects nurses' work performance, job happiness, and productivity in both public and commercial hospitals in Central Punjab, Pakistan. Using a cross-sectional research approach, the study examines how organisational and sociodemographic factors influence nurses' experiences at work by combining quantitative data with sociological interpretation. A standardised questionnaire was used to gather information from nurses working in particular government and private hospitals. Age, education, marital status, religion, years of service, night shifts, workload, effectiveness as a leader, communication styles, and perceptions of prejudice were among the important characteristics. Chi-square tests was used in the statistical analysis to evaluate the relationships between independent variables and job satisfaction. Cross-sectional study using structured questionnaires (n=161 nurses).  The results show notable variations by sector. Education, religion, night shifts, busyness, ignorance, poor leadership, and poor communication were all closely linked to employment satisfaction in private hospitals. In contrast, age, years of service, and communication were the main factors influencing work satisfaction in government hospitals, indicating the importance of tenure-based arrangements and institutional stability. In both sectors, there was no discernible correlation between job satisfaction and monthly income or marital status. Conflict theory, gender role theory, intersectionality, and social cognition theory are used in the study's interpretation of these results. The findings show that gender discrimination affects nurses' professional recognition, task distribution, and access to career progression disproportionately through institutional injustices, cultural expectations, and cognitive biases. It has been discovered that organisational flaws, especially in private hospitals, reduce job satisfaction and have a detrimental impact on output and performance. 

Keywords:  Gender bias; Inequality in the workplace; Job satisfaction; Employee productivity; Work performance; Nursing profession; Public and private hospitals,  organizational behavior.