Does the accumulation of self-employment experience impact life satisfaction?

This paper investigates the association of life satisfaction and self-employment experience. Using a large longitudinal dataset from the Understanding Society survey over the period 2009–2019, the paper examines how the allocation of time to wage- or self-employment affects individual life satisfaction. We argue that the typical dichotomous wage-employee/self-employed variable does not fully explain the association over time. Instead, when we measure self-employment experience over time, we identify significant variations. We examine the effects of self-employment experience on overall satisfaction and on a composite life satisfaction metric which combines the satisfaction with job, income, leisure, and health. We find that overall self-employment experience exhibits a positive effect on life satisfaction. However, we identify contrasting effects between the two life-satisfaction metrics in men and women. The results suggest the existence of effects above and beyond work related factors, which affect men and women differently.