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The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Job Satisfaction in Newsrooms
Journalism Practice
Abstract
Despite the pervasiveness of workplace sexual harassment, the connection between sexual harassment and job satisfaction in the news industry remains insufficiently researched. This 16-country and one state study (N = 1583) sampled news personnel from Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Arab region. The results expand current knowledge by examining understudied countries, measuring the impact of sexual harassment on job satisfaction, and evaluating differences in how people perceive gender equality in the news industry. Results show that both verbal and physical sexual harassment are common, under-reported, and impact job satisfaction challenging common misconceptions that there are only few cases of “real” sexual harassment with negative consequences. Sub-Saharan African countries had the lowest job satisfaction and the highest experienced sexual harassment. Southeast Asia had the highest job satisfaction and the lowest experienced sexual harassment. Men had higher levels of job satisfaction and gender equality perceptions than women. The results also highlight power
imbalances that reinforce gendered hierarchies.
... There have been high-profile court cases on sexual harassment in Africa (Joubert et al. 2011a), indicative of its existence and impact on real victims. Both physical and verbal sexual harassment are common in Africa (Blumell et al. 2023;Msimanga et al. 2023). In addition to the theme on the impact of sexual harassment, other occurring themes from the traditionally reviewed papers are gender/power imbalance, the type of organisation, and policies of sexual harassment. ...
... The impact of sexual harassment on an individual is detrimental regardless of the contextual domain, though victims in the African context are faced with unique challenges. For example, sub-Saharan African countries have the highest experienced rate of sexual harassment, but most cases are unreported (Blumell et al. 2023). This could be caused by the high unemployment rates and fear of losing one's job or the understandable desire to remain gainfully employed. ...
... Due to the socio-religious and cultural milieu of African countries, the blame and wrongly placed or perceived shame experienced by victims is not surprising and needs to be addressed. There are already low levels of job satisfaction in the African context (Blumell et al. 2023). Adding any form of violation or abuse to the workplace would supposedly make it worse with negative outcomes. ...
Sexual harassment is an ongoing baseness that should be non-existent at work. Such immoral behaviours have psychological, physical, and behavioural impacts on victims, with no organisational benefit. Hence, it is imperative that positive actions against sexual harassment are needed, and leaders have a role to play. However, there are limited studies on how ethical leaders can contribute to the eradication process. This report, therefore, makes a compelling case for developing ethical leaders as champions against sexual harassment. It accentuates the positive effect of role-modelling ethical behaviours. Based on secondary data, traditional and systematic literature reviews were conducted on sexual harassment and ethical leadership in sub-Saharan Africa, respectively. The results of the thematic analysis showed that women are mostly the victims of sexual harassment due to the abuse of power and poor execution of harassment policies. The study offers laudable mechanisms such as the creation of an inclusive environment with zero tolerance for sexual harassment, the moral development of organisational members and the reorientation and support for victims. Given the ‘power distance’ culture of most African nations, the fight will be tough, but the benefits and prospects far outweigh the cost. Hence, recommendations and practical approaches to potential challenges are discussed.
... Surabaya, as the capital city of East Java province, is one of the areas where the number of journalists is not balanced. This disproportionate number of human resources impacts the position of women journalists in the newsroom (Blumell et al., 2023). Again, Alliance of Independent Journalists (AIJ) data shows that only 6% of female journalists sit as editor-in-chief. ...
The current scenario in the public sphere sees women's presence, yet certain professions, including journalism, remain primarily dominated by men. This gender disparity not only affects media policies but also perpetuates stereotypes hindering women's advancement in the industry, thus becoming a subject of interest for the researchers focusing on Surabaya's media landscape. This study aims to analyse the portrait of women in the media by focusing on female journalists in Surabaya, Indonesia. This research used critical ethnography and standpoint theory as a foundation for analysing the phenomenon. Based on the results of the researcher's search, the number of female journalists in Surabaya is at most 30% compared to male journalists. This research uses critical ethnography and standpoint theory, which are used as a foundation to analyse the phenomenon. Based on the results of the researcher's search, the number of female journalists in Surabaya is at most 30% compared to male journalists. The results of this study show clearly that society's norms and stereotypes about gender that do not prioritise female journalists are the cause of discrimination. In fact, this discrimination often occurs unintentionally due to factors in the organisational structure and environment that do not support the inclusion of women. This leads to poor representation of women in the media until there is an endless cycle of the system.
... Finally, collectivising knowledge about disconnection is thus a social state of resistance that prioritises what Karppi, Stäheli, et al. (2021, p. xi) frames as the "embeddedness of ubiquitous connectivity…and how it can be challenged and denaturalised from within." These speak to specific issues journalism as a profession is dealing with, such as digital embeddedness (Blumell et al., 2023). Martin and Murrell (2020) proposed the concept of collective care to support acts of resilience in contexts of online harassment. ...
Journalists are increasingly experiencing the negative consequences of online news transformations, such as trolling and harassment, as well as audience distrust. Despite acute need, intra-organisational efforts to support journalists’ online wellbeing have so far been limited. More recently, research has explored how journalists have turned to individual practices of disconnection, such as blocking, muting, or small breaks from online media to mediate the impacts of their everyday online labour (Bossio et al., 2024). Building on this research, this study explores how these individual practices are moving toward collective practices of disconnection. Using interviews with 21 journalists, this study traces how emergent collective practices might contribute to systemic change in journalism. We argue that in lieu of intra-organizational support, journalists seek to disconnect through informal sharing of experiences and support as well as collective efforts toward inter-organisational training and intra-organisational formalization mentoring programs.
... There is now ample research that outlines consistent patterns of the commonality of sexual harassment in many countries (Adams et al., 2020;Kearl et al., 2019). Similarly, sexual harassment in the news industry is also high (International Women's Media Foundation, 2013;North, 2016;Blumell et al., 2023). Sexual harassment has devastating effects to individuals and workplaces. ...
Despite increasing pressure to implement anti-sexual harassment policies, the issue remains largely unresolved within organizations in many countries. This mixed-methods study used a survey of 575 news professionals and an analysis of 17 anti-sexual harassment policies in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to understand the effectiveness of anti-sexual harassment policies in preventing and correcting sexual harassment in the workplace. Results show no significant differences of experienced or reported sexual harassment between organizations with or without a policy. Only 30% of participants reported their experiences with organizations responding to 42% of reported cases. The only measured significant impact of policies was found with participants who had been trained on the policy and the likelihood for their organization to act. An analysis of the policies showed they contained unclear definitions, reporting mechanisms, complaint processes, organizational communication, and monitoring. In discussing these results, we highlight how gendered norms must be considered to implement more effective anti-sexual harassment policies.
This study examines online violence against South African female journalists on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), focusing on language as a tool for mob censorship. The study analyses 600 posts directed at selected female journalists targeted because of their gender and their reporting on high-profile individuals and events. Through qualitative content analysis, the study reveals how name-calling and chastisement are used to belittle, admonish, and with the aim to ultimately silence these women. Name-calling, particularly based on race and gender, employs stereotypes and derogatory terms to try to discredit the journalists and undermine their authority. Chastisement, through sexual innuendo and the weaponisation of mental health, attempts to control and shame these women by dictating how they should behave. This study expands our understanding of name-calling as a weaponised form of digital press criticism used to delegitimise and shame journalists, particularly in a non-Western context.
This report presents the findings of a comprehensive study on sexual
harassment of journalists in Kenya. It sheds light on how such harassment
is pervasive in the media industry. The study involved 240 participants, 20
Key Informant Interviews, and had as its aims: Assess the prevalence of
sexual harassment; evaluate the existing legal framework; and uncover the
underlying challenges to curbing such harassment. The study findings reveal
a disturbingly high prevalence of sexual harassment in Kenyan newsrooms. The confluence of media capture and misogyny underscores the urgency
of addressing this issue at both system and organization levels.
Female journalists make up only between five to 10 percent of the total journalists in Indonesia. Consequently, this often gives women little bargaining power in the workplace. This research analyzes the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment experienced by Indonesian female journalists, as well as their coping techniques. In doing so, in-depth interviews with 10 Indonesian female journalists were conducted. Results show that the majority of respondents have encountered some type of sexual harassment, ranging from unwelcome sexual advances, sexual jokes, offensive flirtations, or actual sexual assaults. Based on the in-depth interviews, there were six main coping techniques used by the respondents: 1. Denial; 2. Ignoring the harassment; 3. Relying on the protection of male coworkers; 4. Appearing more masculine; 5. Being friendly and approachable to others; and, 6. Confronting and reporting. Data is analyzed using a feminist perspective, specifically the sociocultural theory. Though the participants in this study have learned to cope with such treatment, the overall persistence of sexual harassment may lead to such negative implications as further decrease of the number of female journalists, lack of diversity in the media, and the inability for journalists to be watchdogs.
This article, through conducting a study of the sexual harassment (SH) of media workers, investigates the extent and types of SH experienced by the editorial staff of Norwegian newsrooms at the time the #MeToo campaign arrived in Norway, and what effects such experiences have on journalists' professional lives. We are also interested in what Norwegian media houses are doing to address these challenges. The leading research question consists of three interrelated parts: To what extent are journalists exposed to SH? What coping strategies do they use? How can newsrooms be better prepared to fight SH, from the perspective of the safety of journalists? A mixed methods approach, which combines findings from a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative in-depth interviews, was used to answer these questions. The findings show that female, young, and temporary media workers are significantly more frequently targeted than others and that those who had experienced SH handled the situation using avoiding strategies to a significantly greater extent than those who had only been exposed to unwanted attention experiences. The findings feed into a discussion of what strategies media houses can use to be better prepared in the fight against SH.
Pakistan’s journalists confront severe safety risks across the country and impunity to crimes against them allows the perpetrators to go unpunished. Now the country is recognized as one of the deadliest places for working journalists in the world. Given this situation, the Pakistani female journalists are more vulnerable because they are not only prone to safety risks and sexual harassment, but also they face gender discrimination when it comes to their recruitment and equal pay-scale. In the past decade, there has been an alarming increase in attacks on female journalists and incidents of their sexual harassment in Pakistan. Notwithstanding the growing plague of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the country, the resilience of female journalists to work within a threatening and prejudiced environment has not yet fully explored and analysed. Therefore, drawing on the postcolonial feminist theory, this study aims to investigate the Pakistani female journalists’ lived experiences of sexual harassment, threats and discrimination. The study also analyses the impacts of sexual harassment, threats and gender discrimination on the country’s female journalists. To achieve the aforementioned aims, this study uses the qualitative methods of in-depth interviews and focus groups discussion, and offers a thematic analysis of qualitative data.
This study examines why female journalists in an Arab country continue to be marginalized. It hypothesized that a set of interrelated factors, pertaining to gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the lack of a legally and socially enabling environment, work together to systematically discourage and block women's entry into the news field, push those who made it out of the profession, and keep those who have endured down and siloed in specific roles away from decision-making and policy-setting positions. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including a survey of 250 Lebanese, Arab and international female journalists working in Lebanon, qualitative interviews with 26 female journalists, as well as analysis of ownership documents and minutes of board meetings. Findings suggest that structural, institutional and cultural obstacles that have faced women for centuries around the globe continue to operate with potent effects in Lebanon, and by extension in the Arab region.
Social psychologists have not fully investigated the role of leadership in mobilizing widespread support for social change, particularly gender equality. The burden of achieving gender equality is typically placed on women (particularly female leaders) – the main targets of such inequality. Traditional approaches frame workplace gender equality as either a women’s issue, which limits men’s (non-target’s) involvement in the movement, or a meritocratic non-issue that exists due to women’s (target’s) tendency to pursue less intensive careers. In contrast to such work focusing on women’s experiences as targets of discrimination or men’s role in preserving inequality, we propose a solidarity-based approach that positions men and women as agents of change. This approach relies on two processes: leadership processes – particularly leadership as a form of influence based on shared identities among leaders and followers (e.g., their gender group); and political solidarity as a way to mobilize the silent majority (men) to work as allies beside a minority (women) and embrace equality as a common cause for both groups. In two experiments (Ns = 338, 336) we studied how leader gender and message framing affect men’s and women’s support for equality by contrasting a solidarity-based framing of gender equality as a common cause for men and women, with a women’s issue frame (Experiment 1) or a meritocratic frame (Experiment 2). The statement was attributed to a male or female leader (Experiments 1–2) or, additionally, to a government agency (Experiment 1). Women reported higher sense of common cause (Experiment 2) and collective action intentions than men (Experiments 1–2), and higher intentions under common cause compared to meritocracy frames (Experiment 2). Interestingly, male leaders invoked higher sense of common cause and collective action intentions for both men and women regardless of framing (Experiment 2). Irrespective of leader gender however, as predicted common cause framing boosted perceived leader prototypicality, legitimacy, and influence across the board (Experiments 1–2). Yet this was qualified by women (compared to men) rating leaders as more legitimate and influential under common cause compared to meritocracy framing (Experiment 2). Women’s reactions to equality messages, and the intersection of leadership and solidarity toward equality are discussed.
This project is based on interviews with a national probability sample of U.S. journalists to document the tremendous changes that have occurred in journalism in the 21st century. More than a decade has passed since the last comprehensive survey of U.S. journalists was carried out in 2002. This 2013 survey of U.S. journalists updates these findings with new questions about the impact of social media in the newsroom and presents a look at the data on the demographics, working conditions, and professional values of 1,080 U.S. journalists who were interviewed online in the fall of 2013.
Objectives
Our aims were to assess the relationship between workplace violence, job satisfaction, burnout, organisational support and turnover intention, and to explore factors associated with turnover intention among nurses in Chinese tertiary hospitals.
Methods
The purposive sampling method was used to collect data from August 2016 through January 2017. A total of 1761 nurses from 9 public tertiary hospitals in 4 provinces (municipalities) located in eastern (Beijing), central (Heilongjiang, Anhui) and western (Shaanxi) regions of China completed the questionnaires (effective response rate=85.20%). A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Workplace Violence Scale, Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire Revised Short Version, Perceived Organizational Support-Simplified Version Scale and Turnover Intention Scale.
Results
A total of 1216 of 1706 (69.1%) participants had high turnover intention. During the previous 12 months, the prevalence of physical violence and psychological violence towards nurses was 9.60% and 59.64%, respectively. As expected, the level of turnover intention was negatively correlated with participants’ scores on job satisfaction (r=−0.367, p<0.001) and perceived organisational support (r=−0.379, p<0.001), respectively. Burnout was positively associated with turnover intention (r=0.444, p<0.001). Workplace violence was positively associated with turnover intention (β=0.035, p<0.001) in linear regression analysis. The total effect (β=0.53) of workplace violence on turnover intention comprised its direct effect (β=0.36) and its indirect effect (β=0.17).
Conclusions
Perceived organisational support served as a mediator between workplace violence, job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention, and it had a significantly negative impact on turnover intention. Therefore, nursing managers should understand the importance of the organisation’s support and establish a reasonable incentive system to decrease turnover intention.
This paper reports findings from a 2013 survey of 1080 US journalists and a 2014 survey of 1230 US citizens, focusing on their views of traditional journalism roles and the performance of journalism in the United States. The study finds significant differences in how journalists and the public evaluate news media performance and journalistic roles. It also finds that news consumption and social media use predict stronger support for traditional journalistic roles among journalists and citizens.
This study combines two research methods to explore how female leaders in Vietnam are portrayed in the news, and journalists’ perception of female and male leaders. Content analysis indicated that female leaders are under- and misrepresented. Female leader sources seldom appear in the news. When they do, they are more likely to be interviewed on traditionally feminine issues. Findings demonstrated gender stereotypes pervade among journalists, influencing their perception of news sources. Journalists believe male sources possess stronger work-oriented and agentic traits while female sources are more socially-oriented and communal. Results confirmed Role Congruity Theory’s applicability in studying media in a non-western country.
Journalism is an atypical career choice for women in Jordan. Although, the number of female journalists in the country is on the rise, especially in the capital Amman, there is still little social acceptability of the profession for women. Ideal professions for women are the ones perceived to be ‘an extension of the care-giving role’ (Peebles, Ghosheh, Sabbagh and Darwazeh 2004, p. 24), namely, nursing and teaching. Hence, there is still a big gap dividing women’s contribution to journalism in Jordan compared with their male colleagues.
Lebanon has historically been one of the most liberal and progressive countries in the Arab world, with a relatively free media climate and a culture and legal environment largely conducive to gender equality. Censorship in Lebanon remains nowhere near as stringent as in most of its regional counterparts, although journalists and bloggers self-censor for personal safety (Alabaster 2011). The country has a long tradition of press freedom, but nearly all media have ties to political groups (Al-Najjar 2011). Women have legal access to virtually all occupations and professions and enjoy equal constitutional rights with men, despite the persistence of some discriminatory laws and practices. In addition, Lebanese women in most professions face a national trend of underrepresentation in positions of power, especially within the news industry. As was learned in the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media (Global Report) study, Lebanese news companies employ twice as many men as women, and the disparity further increases as we go up the corporate ladder (Byerly 2011).
This article studied and compared the two nonprobability sampling techniques namely, Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling are Nonprobability Sampling Techniques that a researcher uses to choose a sample of subjects/units from a population. Although, Nonprobability sampling has a lot of limitations due to the subjective nature in choosing the sample and thus it is not good representative of the population, but it is useful especially when randomization is impossible like when the population is very large. It can be useful when the researcher has limited resources, time and workforce. It can also be used when the research does not aim to generate results that will be used to create generalizations pertaining to the entire population. Therefore, there is a need to use nonprobability sampling techniques. The aim of this study is to compare among the two nonrandom sampling techniques in order to know whether one technique is better or useful than the other. Different articles were reviewed to compare between Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling and it is concluded that the choice of the techniques (Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling) depends on the nature and type of the research.
This study uses qualitative data to examine how male and female professionals in newsrooms experience and vocalize gender both in their lifeworlds and in media production in general. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with 18 Portuguese journalists. The responses were analysed through phenomenological and feminist lenses and indicated the issues men and women considered salient or negligible within our realms of inquiry. The study used the lived experi- ence of the media professionals to identify two clusters of meaning that help explain how material practices and norms in journalism are lived and understood in the newsroom: gender views in journalism and gender differences in day-to-day professional life. Overall, the findings confirm that organizational factors and the traditional gender system play important roles in journalists’ attitudes and perceptions about the role of gender in their work. The results are significant because they show how gender is simultaneously embodied and denied by both female and male journalists in a process of phenomenological “typification” and adoption of a “natural atti- tude” towards the gender system that may prevent the disclosure of new possibilities and under- standings of the objective social world and of our gender relations.
The largest survey of female journalists working in the Australian news media was
undertaken in 2012 and asked participants to respond to questions about perceived gender
discrimination in working conditions. This article focuses on participant responses in
relation to promotional opportunities. The keys themes that arose centred on the impact of
childcare responsibilities and a masculine newsroom culture that worked to exclude them.
A total of 577 female journalists working in broadcast, print and online platforms from all
states and territories and in regional/rural, metropolitan and suburban news publications
responded to the online survey. Most respondents articulated a perception of gender
bias around the issue of promotional opportunities but often blamed themselves and/or
their child-rearing responsibilities for their lack of opportunity. The responses indicate an
ongoing and systemic gender bias that disadvantages women, particularly mothers, and has
been largely left unacknowledged in Australian media debates.
Female journalists’ experiences of sexual harassment are barely documented in the literature about Australian news journalism despite evidence of its ongoing prevalence. There have been some stories of harassment detailed in autobiographies by female journalists and the occasional article in the mainstream media about individual incidents, but it wasn’t until 1996 that a union survey provided statistical evidence of an industry-wide problem. That Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance survey found that more than half of the 368 female participants had experienced sexual harassment at work. In 2012, I conducted the largest survey
of female journalists in Australia finding that there was an increased
number of respondents who had experienced sexual harassment in their workplaces. In a bid to better understand female journalists’ experiences of sexual harassment, this paper analyses written comments made by survey participants in relation to key questions about harassment. It finds that most downplay its seriousness and do not make formal reports because they fear victimisation or retaliation. As a consequence, a culture of secrecy hides a major industry problem where many women believe they should work it out themselves and that harassment is the price they have to pay for working in a male dominated industry.
A survey of 715 U.S. newspaper journalists reveals women report higher levels of exhaustion and lower levels of professional efficacy than do men. Among women 27 and younger, 30 percent say they intend to leave the field.
A nationwide survey of newspaper journalists found that coping control, perceptions of job quality and job security and organizational commitment are significant, positive predictors of job satisfaction.
research shows that there is a perception that gender equity in the South african news media has reached maturation and that the power female journalists hold in the newsroom equals that of their male counterparts. these perceptions might be attributed to the fact that South african news media have reached near gender parity in terms of the workforce. However, the question is whether this translates into women having equal power to influence news agendas and to extend the broader public discourse.
through interviews with journalists from a cross-section of the South african english- and afrikaans-language media, the study shows that despite improved gender equity in the workforce, female journalists do not think they have the same power to alter news agendas as their male counterparts. Furthermore, the study shows that despite women and men often covering similar beats and stories, they emphasise different story angles and also articulate their role in society differently.
This study examines why female journalists in an Arab country continue to be marginalized. It hypothesized that a set of interrelated factors, pertaining to gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the lack of a legally and socially enabling environment, work together to systematically discourage and block women's entry into the news field, push those who made it out of the profession, and keep those who have endured down and siloed in specific roles away from decision-making and policy-setting positions. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including a survey of 250 Lebanese, Arab and international female journalists working in Lebanon, qualitative interviews with 26 female journalists, as well as analysis of ownership documents and minutes of board meetings. Findings suggest that structural, institutional and cultural obstacles that have faced women for centuries around the globe continue to operate with potent effects in Lebanon, and by extension in the Arab region.
Research from around the globe has long emphasised the problem of vertical segregation in the news media where women remain largely absent from key editorial decision-making roles. Horizontal segregation, however, where there are gendered divisions of tasks associated with reporting, is also an ongoing issue and has been highlighted in a recent large-scale survey of female journalists in Australia. To date, just one other small industry survey in 1996 has asked female journalists in Australia about the types of stories that they cover and raised the implications of gendered inequity. This current survey finds that while more female reporters appear be covering hard news rounds like politics and business, the majority are still assigned to cover the bulk of the soft news areas of features, the arts, education and health—and most perceive that female reporters remain pigeon-holed in those traditionally female story areas. Respondents understand soft news as less important within the organisation in comparison to the highly valued areas of politics and sports that male reporters most often cover. This paper analyses female journalists' responses to the gendered nature of the soft news-hard news binary and the ramifications of such disparity.
Background: The relationship that exists between job stress and job
satisfaction has been investigated across several professional groups.
Aim: The study assessed the job satisfaction, perception of job stress
and psychological morbidity among journalists in a state in the Southern
part of Nigeria. Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out in
Benin city, the capital of Edo state in Nigeria. Three hundred and
twenty consenting journalists from 5 media corporations in the city were
interviewed using structured pre-tested questionnaires. Data was
analysed using SPSS version 16. Results: Eight (2.5%) respondents
had no job stress, 124 (38.8 %) had mild job stress with 166 (51.9 %)
having moderate job stress and 22 (6.95%) having high job stress. Job
title [OR 2.99; p = 0.00, 95% CI (1.31, 6.84)], and gender [ OR 0.11, p =
0.02; 95% CI (0.02, 0.68)] were significantly associated with the
experience of job stress. One hundred and ninety four (60.6%)
respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs. Respondents
who had been in employment for < 15 years and those who
experienced high job stress, 22 (6.95%) were significantly (P< 0.00
respectively) more dissatisfied than others. Psychological morbidity
was present in 44 (13.8%) respondents, with job title as the only single
predictor of psychological morbidity [odds ratio 0.57, 95% CI (0.42 –
0.78), P= 0.00]. Conclusion: Management of media organisations in
the state should put in place interventions to reduce identified stressors
in the work environment targeted at identified high risk groups.
This study examines the predictions on sexual harassment experience towards job satisfaction and work stress among female employees at three universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. A questionnaire consisting of four sections has been used for this research. The four sections measured sexual harassment experience, job satisfaction, work stress and respondents information. A total of 1423 participants were selected through simple random sampling technique. Results show that more than half of the sample has had sexual harassment experience. Female employees aged between 26 to 39 years, married, and having length of service less than 5 years had more sexual harassment experiences. Another result showed a significant negative relationship between sexual harassment experience with job satisfaction and significant positive relationship between sexual harassment experience with work stress. Results also indicate that sexual harassment can be a predictor of job satisfaction and work stress. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Despite rising scholarly interest in online violence as an “occupational hazard” for journalists, we know little about the dynamics that shape the often-limited support given by media organizations to media workers affected by online violence. In this study, I explore how the working environment of journalists constrains opportunities for addressing gendered online violence. Through a total of 27 interviews with experts and media workers in the United Kingdom and India, I find that these structural barriers play out through three main dynamics: stratified access to support resources, workplace norms that punish reporting online violence as signs of “weakness,” and precarious conditions that leave journalists with little control over their work. Adverse press freedom conditions also appear to exacerbate the impact of these dynamics. Relating these findings to broader inequality regimes in the contemporary working world, I argue that online violence both reinforces and is reinforced by inequality regimes within media organizations. In the same way that organizations often fail to adequately address other forms of workplace harassment, structural barriers complicate newsroom responses to online violence.
Through interviews with women journalists in the Philippines, this study documents and examines their experiences with online harassment. Three main themes stand out. First, we find that online harassment against journalists follows a systematic process that starts from the top, is followed through by a network of social media personalities and an army of trolls, and then completed by ordinary social media users. Second, cases of harassment impact journalists across multiple levels: individually, interpersonally and professionally. Finally, the participants referred to different ways of coping with what they experienced and identified three sources of support: their peers, their organizations and the public. Harassment against journalists has always been gendered, with women journalists finding themselves at the receiving end more often than do their male counterparts, and this has spilled over into digital platforms.
This study examined the factors affecting turnover and turnaway intention of newspaper journalists in South Korea through the lens of the push–pull–mooring framework. Survey results of 899 journalists showed that traffic boosting practices push journalists away from organizations. Particularly, senior journalists were more frustrated with the prevalence of traffic boosting practices, while juniors were more sensitive to growth potential and job security. Furthermore, ideological conflict between journalists and their organizations regarding political orientation was positively related to turnover intention. Meanwhile, regardless of the career length, journalists who enjoyed their coworkers were less likely to leave their jobs.
Drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), and a gender perspective, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model postulating relationships between sexual harassment, burnout, perceived social and organizational support, psychological well-being, and job satisfaction. A survey of Turkish female tour guides resulted in 221 valid questionnaires. The results reveal that female tour guides’ sexual harassment experience has a negative impact on their job satisfaction and psychological well-being. Unlike perceived social support, perceived organizational support plays a significant and negative role in triggering sexual harassment. The findings also confirm the mediating effects of burnout on the relationship between sexual harassment and job satisfaction as well as the relationship between sexual harassment and psychological well-being. The study contributes to gender equality and sustainability research and offers several practical implications for stakeholders in the travel industry and public policy.
The #MeToo movement, which engulfed much of India's news and entertainment industry in October 2018, was projected by many as a watershed moment for Indian journalism. Driven largely through social media activism, it created significant public discourse and outcry, leading to the “outing” and resignation of many journalists. This paper explores the perception of #MeTooIndia in regional and national newsrooms. Drawing on Manuel Castells's ideas of networked social movement, we consider the origins of #MeTooIndia, including its mediation on private and social networks. We then draw on 257 semi-structured interviews with journalists working in 14 languages across India to explore the “cause” of the campaign—the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual violence in workspaces—before turning our attention to the impact, or potential for impact, that journalists saw in it. We find most journalists felt the movement was “good”, but did not think it influenced their environment or newswork in any meaningful manner. Regional journalists expressed more pessimism about the #MeTooIndia, men more so than women.
In 2018, the news industry found itself in the headlines when it revealed the significant difference in levels of pay between the genders, with some pre-eminent financial publications having the widest pay gaps. This provided a timely opportunity to survey 65 economic, financial, and business journalists – both men and women – working for news outlets in the UK, including the BBC and the Financial Times. The survey explored the values and working practices of business, economic and financial journalists in the UK, as well as their opinions about the gender pay gap. Results show that while women, as expected, are paid less than the men and hold fewer positions of seniority, few expressed opinions about the gender pay gap. Engaging a wide audience and a lack of resources in the industry to be able to do so are the most pressing concerns for the journalists surveyed.
This article analyses female journalists’ perceptions of their own role, their power in the newsroom, their influence over the news agenda and the challenges they face on a daily basis in two large media-saturated countries and emerging democracies, India and South Africa. India and South Africa are both nations that are trying to overcome historical legacies of patriarchal structures and gendered attitudes about women’s role. The authors conclude that female journalists articulated their experiences of newsroom culture as hegemonically masculine. While it appears that female journalists believe that women have made some strides in covering political news, they still see their influence as limited and continue to battle pre-existing professional stereotypes.
At a time of growing threats to the press worldwide, including in supposedly ‘safe’ developed democracies, this article explores the nature of harassment perpetrated by strangers, one-time sources, and viewers against women broadcast journalists working at US local television stations. The study investigates the emotional labor – the work of managing one’s emotions to keep others happy – that is required for journalists negotiating such harassment. Through qualitative interviews, our research shows that women in such roles face four main types of harassment: (1) disruptive in-person harassment, (2) physical and abrasive in-person harassment, (3) online harassment as unwanted sexual advances, and (4) online harassment as threats and criticisms. We find that women perform a significant degree of emotional labor as they regularly deal with harassment and simultaneously attempt to mitigate or prevent further harassment.
This article examines the factors contributing to the under-representation of women leaders in the Egyptian media. Whilst a plethora of research exist on women in the Arab media in general, very few have so far examined the extent of women’s representation in top media management positions particularly in Egypt. Based on empirical insights from 40 key informant interviews, this article finds that in their quest to become top media managers, Egyptian women journalists encounter a two-dimensional uphill battle—institutional and social discrimination. Institutional discrimination is evident in the absence of a legal and organizational environment to encourage women leadership. This includes a notable wage gap, gendered work relations, and difficulty maintaining a work–life balance. Social discrimination is practised against women journalists outside newsrooms, more specifically within their home environments, where they have to battle patriarchal social norms. © 2018
In feminist media studies, the growing body of research on media production has indicated that journalism remains divided along gender lines. The purpose of this study is to address the lack of relevant multi-method research on gender inequality in journalism. To assess the structural position of women in the journalistic workforce, the authors conducted a large-scale survey of journalists in Belgium. The survey results were explored in more depth by conducting qualitative interviews with 19 female journalists. The analysis confirms the existence of all traditional barriers that women journalists experience. The added value of this study is that it enumerates several additional difficulties, and offers insight into the strategies that the respondents use to deal with gender-related career obstacles. These strategies were associated with the degree of flexibility in the newsroom for journalists with children, the choice to work part-time or freelance, and the use of new communication technologies.
A national study of copy editors at 100 U.S. dailies with circulation above 25,000 found that 70 percent were at least somewhat satisfied with their jobs. Only 23 percent, however, strongly agreed.
Through a survey of 343 journalists from 5 metropolitan newspapers, this study explores the link between job satisfaction of journalists and their perceived work impact within the social context of China. The study shows that (a) Chinese journalists may not be happy about the current press system in China; however, this does not necessarily make them feel dissatisfied with their job; (b) In a controlled press system, journalists who find the system more acceptable tend to see the personal benefits offered by their job and to feel contented with their work environment; and (c) Journalists who find the existing press system acceptable are more likely to experience their personal impact on the news production process and perceive the significant influence of their newspaper. Such perceptions lead to greater satisfaction with their job.
Despite years of dominating journalism school classrooms across North America, women remain vastly underrepresented at the highest levels of newspaper leadership. Why do so many female journalists leave the industry and so few reach the top? Interviewing female journalists at daily newspapers across Canada, Vivian Smith – who spent fourteen years at The Globe and Mail as a reporter, editor, and manager – finds that many of the obstacles that women face in the newspaper industry are the same now as they have been historically, made worse by the challenging times in which the industry finds itself. The youngest fear they will have to choose between a career and a family; mid–career women madly juggle the pressures of work and family while worrying that they are not “good mothers” and the most senior reflect on decades of accomplishments mixed with frustration at newsroom sexism that has held them back. Listening carefully to the stories these journalists tell, both about themselves and about what they write, Smith reveals in Outsiders Still how overt hostility to women in the newsroom has been replaced by systemic inequality that limits or ends the careers of many female journalists. Despite decades of contributions to society’s news agenda, women print journalists are outsiders still.
The focus of this article is on the job satisfaction among the population of professional Flemish journalists by means of two surveys conducted in 2003 (N=1026) and 2008 (N=682). Both surveys focus on intrinsic and extrinsic variables linked to job satisfaction as well as on several predictors of job satisfaction such as type of contract, job function, age and gender. The longitudinal perspective allows us to identify any evolutions or differences in satisfaction between 2003 and 2008. By taking into consideration previous mentioned predictors also the influence of external elements on job satisfaction can be researched. The 2003 and 2008 surveys suggest that the ‘average’ Flemish professional journalist is fairly satisfied with the job content. However, we observe a slightly negative but non-significant shift occurring in 2008. The degree of job satisfaction seems to be related to the type of contract (freelance or employed on a permanent basis) and the job function. We noticed also a clear gender element in the discussion: female journalists are not less satisfied but state to have more difficulties to combine the journalistic job with a private and family life.
An authoritative and detailed illustration of the state of journalistic practice in the United States today, The American Journalist in the 21st Century sheds light on the demographic and educational backgrounds, working conditions, and professional and ethical values of print, broadcast, and Internet journalists at the beginning of the 21st century. Providing results from telephone surveys of nearly 1,500 U.S. journalists working in a variety of media outlets, this volume updates the findings published in the earlier report, The American Journalist in the 1990s, and reflects the continued evolution of journalistic practice and professionalism. The scope of material included here is extensive and inclusive, representing numerous facets of journalistic practice and professionalism, and featuring separate analyses for women, minority, and online journalists. Many findings are set in context and compared with previous major studies of U.S. journalists conducted in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Serving as a detailed snapshot of current journalistic practice, The American Journalist in the 21st Century offers an intriguing and enlightening profile of professional journalists today, and it will be of great interest and value to working journalists, journalism educators, media managers, journalism students, and others seeking insights into the current state of the journalism profession. © 2007 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
This national survey conducted in 2012–2013 (N = 504) examines demographic characteristics of the Kenyan journalists. Findings indicate that the typical Kenyan journalist is male (66%), married (57%), and in his mid-30s (M = 34 years). He tends to have a Bachelor’s degree (46%) and has received college-level training in journalism or communication (91%). However, when it comes to majoring in journalism or communication, most of the journalists were trained at the level of associate degree (45%), followed by Bachelor’s degree (38.5%) and Master’s degree (13.6%). Thirty-three percent of the Kenyan journalists work in daily newspapers, with 73 percent of them employed on full-time basis. In ethnic grouping, about a quarter (24.9%) of Kenyan news people belong to the Kikuyu tribe, followed by Luhya tribe (20%). The results also indicate that the majority of the journalists are from the Rift Valley province (21.4%) – Kenya’s largest administrative unit – followed by Western (19.5%) and Central (15.5%). By religion affiliation, 62.3 percent of the journalists are Protestants and 22.5 percent Roman Catholic. While the majority of the Kenyan journalists (22%) fall in the monthly salary bracket of 375–625, a significant number of them (17%) earn less than $375 a month.
This Kenya national survey of journalists conducted in 2012 to 2013 (n = 504) examines job satisfaction, income satisfaction, and predictors of job satisfaction. Findings indicate that the vast majority of journalists are satisfied with their current jobs (83%). However, a clear majority (61.8%) are dissatisfied with their monthly incomes. Nearly a quarter of journalists fall in the monthly salary bracket of US625. Compared by gender, male and female journalists are equally satisfied with their jobs. Older journalists, radio journalists, high income earners, and full-time journalists reported higher job satisfaction. Income, job security, and job autonomy were the main predictors of job satisfaction.
Based on the subset of a representative survey of journalists with an active role perception in Germany, this article shows that more liberal journalists within the subset have (a) a more active role conception than more conservative journalists, (b) they perceive stronger discrepancies between their active role and its fulfillment, and (c) they are, thus, less satisfied with audiences and editorial policy. The indirect effect of the political leaning of this subset of journalists on their satisfaction with audiences and editorial policy underlines the significance of intrinsic factors for subdimensions of job satisfaction in journalism.
This study uses quantitative and qualitative survey data to examine the job satisfaction of male and female employees at Iowa newspapers. Responses to open-ended questions indicated qualitative differences in the issues men and women considered salient and in the discourses they used to talk about their work. Male respondents were more likely to use language that evoked professional efficacy and emphasized presence. Female respondents more likely to use language that related to production and emphasized position. The findings also indicate a gender discrepancy related to income and financial status; men reported higher salaries and indicated greater financial security than women. Economic environment emerged as a salient issue for both male and female employees. Overall, the findings support the use of qualitative data to explore issues related to gender and job satisfaction and suggest organizational factors play an important role in newspaper employees’ attitudes and perceptions about their work.