Gendered, Classed and Aged Qualitative Job Demands, Resources and Rewards Among Mothers, Fathers and Childless Women and Men in an Australian Organisation: A Multilevel Approach

Poor quality jobs can impact employees’ health and wellbeing. However, jobs’ changing natures and employees’ increasing diversity mean extant job quality models may inadequately explain employees’ experiences. This qualitative case-study of an Australian organisation aimed to understand mothers’, fathers’ and childless women’s and men’s experiences of qualitative job demands, resources and rewards in the context of multilevel power relations. We used a critical feminist grounded theory approach to analyse 47 employees’ open-ended questionnaire responses and 10 employees’ in-depth interviews. Findings suggested participants had nuanced gendered, classed and aged experiences of qualitative job demands, resources and rewards, emanating from the societally-entrenched organisational growth imperative and mechanisms, and participants’ organisationally and societally-embedded individual, household and community contexts. The study enriches and expands job quality dimensions by suggesting job quality encompasses navigating between personal needs and abilities, and intrinsic task demands, resources and rewards; working (in)authentically within organisational contexts; working with others; and dealing with company change.