High on Passion, Low on Pay: Women’s Job Satisfaction at Iowa Newspapers

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2015-01-01
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Lucht, Tracy
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Lucht, Tracy
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Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication offers two majors: Advertising (instructing students in applied communication for work in business or industry), and Journalism and Mass Communication (instructing students in various aspects of news and information organizing, writing, editing, and presentation on various topics and in various platforms). The Department of Agricultural Journalism was formed in 1905 in the Division of Agriculture. In 1925 its name was changed to the Department of Technical Journalism. In 1969 its name changed to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications; from 1969 to 1989 the department was directed by all four colleges, and in 1989 was placed under the direction of the College of Sciences and Humanities (later College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). In 1998 its name was changed to the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.
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Abstract

This study examines the job satisfaction of women at Iowa newspapers by assessing women’s attitudes and perceptions in three distinct areas: job quality, work-life balance, and organizational support. The findings indicate that job quality is an important and positive aspect of women’s job satisfaction while organizational support offers room for improvement. The respondents generally were satisfied with their jobs and work-life balance, but low salaries emerged as a significant problem. The respondents also expressed a desire for consistent personnel policies and greater opportunities for advancement. The results are intended to help community newspapers in their efforts to recruit and retain highly skilled women, who continue to be underrepresented in the field.

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This is a manuscript of an article published in Newspaper Research Journal 36(4) (Winter 2015): 426–440.

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Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2015
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