JOB SATISFACTION AND JOB DISCRIMINATION AS PERCEIVED BY TOP-LEVEL WOMEN ADMINISTRATORS IN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships between job satisfaction and job discrimination and to determine how certain characteristics of top-level women administrators affect this relationship. Perceptions of top-level women administrators in relation to selected variables were also investigated. Data were collected by a questionnaire mailed to 353 top-level women administrators in independent non-profit, profit-making, or religiously-affiliated colleges or universities. The final sample consisted of 184 usable responses. One-third of the respondents were married, one-third were single, and one-third were Sisters in a Catholic order. The data analyses consisted of absolute frequencies, adjusted percentages, and chi-square analyses. Approximately ninety percent of the respondents were satisfied with their career accomplishments. Administrators in religious four-year institutions who felt materially influential indicated a great degree of job satisfaction. Career rewards were positively related to job satisfaction in the areas of achievement of academic goals, professional competence, and creative freedom. Social and economic status was not seen by the respondents as a primary form of personal gratification or career satisfaction. The majority of respondents were very satisfied with their careers. They perceived a greater degree of satisfaction if they felt they were in an influential position within their institutions. Motivations for administrative women appeared to be intrinsic, and the only personal cost involved was the loss of friends outside their careers. There were very few women in top-level positions, but most of the respondents had not been aware of discrimination in their personal careers. One-fourth of the respondents reported salaries less than the salaries of men in similar positions. Respondents who were married felt their family life was enriched by their careers. Higher academic degrees contributed to increased satisfaction with the respondents\u27 careers. Some of the follow-up studies recommended were: (1) further study of variables that influence women to enter administration, (2) investigation of both male and female mentoring relationships, (3) further study of Sisters of Catholic orders who are administrators, (4) comparative studies of men and women who hold identical positions in administration, and (5) study of discriminatory practices and attitudes in higher education