Based on two related sets of data from the 1979 Kohn and Schooler followup study of 626 men, ages 26-65, who were part of the employed, civilian labor force in 1964, a study investigated the determinants of job satisfaction for these men, and 269 of their 555 wives who were formally employed ten or more hours per week. Correlations between job satisfaction indexes and indicators of job conditions (occupational self direction, organizational structure and position, job pressures and uncertainties, and extrinsic rewards and protection) were used in multiple regression analyses. Strong evidence was found of a direct connection between day-to-day job conditions and workers' satisfaction regardless of gender. Furthermore, causal models demonstrate that the effect of job conditions on job satisfaction is not the result of selective entry of workers into particular occupations or people adjusting performance on the job according to current satisfaction with their work. Although both men and women evaluate their jobs in terms of immediate work environment, there are differences in the particular job conditions that influence their assessments. Some of these differences can be related to individual work values that may alter the subjective nature of work experiences. However, the nature of particular jobs and potential sources of gratification also suggest explanations for different reactions to specific job conditions. (Author/MEK)