Abstract
The main aim of this minor dissertation is to gain a greater understanding of gender differences in subjective well-being in South Africa. Happiness1 or subjective well-being is the primary objective of most, if not all, people (Veenhoven, 1984; Ng, 1996). In an attempt to better understand which factors influence one’s happiness, economists in both developed and developing countries have turned to self-reported life satisfaction surveys to identify the possible determinants of subjective well-being. Previous South African studies have found that the level of life satisfaction is not the same for males and females. This is problematic, as differences in happiness between genders may have potential unwanted spill-overs by adding to other disparities in society (Veenhoven, 2005). Empirical research on gender gaps in subjective well-being is well-documented in developed countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom. However, there are no studies in South Africa that explicitly decompose the gender gaps in happiness. Against this background, this minor dissertation contributes to the international literature by decomposing a gender happiness gap for a developing, upper middle-income country, which has previously not been done before. In addition, this minor dissertation contributes to the South African literature by examining changes in the gender happiness gap at two points in time. ..
M.Com. (Development Economics)