Gender Differences in Healthcare Satisfaction: Exploring the Mechanisms
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2024-07-05
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en
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Healthcare satisfaction is an important determinant of citizens’ willingness to contribute to a solidarity-based healthcare system and by extension the financial stability of such a system. Hence, understanding healthcare satisfaction is crucial. Given the inconsistent results in existing research, this research paper investigates the relationship between gender and healthcare satisfaction in the Netherlands as well as the mechanisms behind this relationship. It is hypothesized that women are less satisfied than men with healthcare. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that this relationship is mediated by perceived gender bias and moderated by healthcare utilization. These hypotheses are tested empirically using ordinal logistic regressions and longitudinal data from the LISS panel (2008-2023, 16,281 respondents). The results of the empirical analysis indicate that the log odds of scoring healthcare satisfaction one-point higher decreases by 0.44 for women, holding all other variables constant. This reveals that women are indeed less satisfied than men with healthcare in the Netherlands. The mediation analysis indicates that this effect is direct, and the moderation analysis indicates that the relationship is not dependent on healthcare utilization. The results of this research provide a basis for policy interventions aimed at improving overall satisfaction with healthcare.
Keywords: Healthcare; Satisfaction; Gender; Perceived gender bias; Healthcare utilization.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen