According to statistics released in 2014 by the United States Census Bureau, women are paid, on average, 79 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn. A just released study of over 100,000 job offers by Hired.com found that 69% of the time men receive higher salary offers than women for the same job title at the same company.

But equal pay is just the beginning. What about the gap between job satisfaction for women and men? Most companies stress rewards—like increased wages and bonuses—as a way to motivate employees, but studies have shown that women have a higher preference for “softer issues,” including a desire for respectful treatment, a company’s understanding of a woman’s desire to reconcile work and family life, and gestures of appreciation and encouragement.

The importance of job satisfaction to a woman’s sense of self-worth is often underestimated. According to Nancy Harris, a women’s empowerment coach on the Talk to An Expert website.

"It is hard for most women to compartmentalize work dissatisfaction. If they’ve had a frustrating day at work, they often continue to process their feelings once home. This can deeply affect the significant relationships in their life, as well as their health. Job dissatisfaction can have a huge cost for women and their families, well beyond the workplace. I work with a lot of women trying to reconcile these conflicting roles and emotions. Sometimes we work on exploring how to deal with workplace stress more effectively and other times we may look at how to begin the process of leaving their current employment for something more fulfilling.”

Harris, a certified life coach with more than 20 years of experience, has developed a Work Satisfaction Questionnaire to help women evaluate the factors that can make them feel more fulfilled at work. Women can use this questionnaire to determine their overall job satisfaction and how they can improve it.