Quantitative and qualitative analysis of life satisfaction: In a case of employment of housewives in Turkey

Life satisfaction is a multidimensional issue. Life satisfaction shows the level of positive feelings of the general evaluation of an individual's life. The satisfaction of the individuals in working life and their happiness in society do not affect only the non-employed. But also, it affects on both the whole society, as a result of the invalidity of the labor force that emerged as an economic loss. In terms of economic growth, referring labor factors to the production process increases income and welfare. In this context, the increase in the quality of life also affects on the life satisfaction of individuals. On the other hand, there is a fact that some women prefer not to work, thus made them feel happy as a result of their decision not to participate in the labor market. It might explain causes such as gender discrimination in work life, inequality in wages, home-work conflict. In this study, the status of homemakers in labour market is investigated as a criterion of life satisfaction, not social benefit and economic growth. Findings demonstrate that the life satisfaction of Turkish housewives is relatively higher than 'the employed, the unemployed and women not in the labor force'. Keywords: Life satisfaction, Happiness Economics, Employment, Gender, Turkey