Life Satisfaction of Young Female Factory Workers in Developing Countries: A Grounded Theory Approach to Develop a Model

This study explores the determinant factors of life satisfaction of female workers in Free Trade Zones (FTZ) in Sri Lanka by using the grounded theory approach. Observations and in-depth interviews were applied to gather data. Life satisfaction among women in the workplace is requisite in many industries. Compared with all other sectors, life satisfaction issues are more crucial in FTZs. The model formulated in this study shows the employees' overall life satisfaction at FTZs, which many previous studies have ignored. The findings revealed that overall life satisfaction is dependent on seven satisfaction domains: work satisfaction, health satisfaction, financial satisfaction, family satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, housing satisfaction, community satisfaction, and two factors related to participation in life events: happy events and sad events. In addition, seven personal characteristics: age, marital status, number of family members, parents, family income, education, and positions held before joining FTZs were identified as moderator variables. The proposed model is closed the theoretical gap which many previous researchers overlooked. The study provided managerial and policy implications and proposed policies to the government and managers to overcome this issue.