Pacific Journalism Review research - Journalists working harder, women disadvantaged
New Zealand journalists are working longer hours, and feeling more pressure, both ethically and resource-wise, than they were only two years ago, a new research survey has found.
A survey of New Zealand professional journalists, published today in Pacific Journalism Review, also shows for the first time that women journalists are paid less than men, despite making up the bulk of the workforce.
The survey shows female journalists, despite predominating in the profession, are significantly disadvantaged in terms of promotion and income.
The average before tax income of all journalists was $69,400 (in 2015 dollars) but the median after-tax salary of women was 26 percent lower than that of men of equivalent rank and experience.
The biggest factors affecting journalists’ income, in order, are experience, where they work (with those in provincial areas are paid less) and gender.
Women were also disadvantaged in terms of promotion; while only half of men work in non-manage¬ment roles, which is the case for two-thirds of women.
The median age was 44 years and the mean age 43.16 years.
The survey, part of the Worlds of Journalism project involving 64 countries and 27,500 journalists, was led by Dr James Hollings, head of journalism at Massey University. The research team included Professor Folker Hanusch of the University of Vienna, Austria; Dr Ravi Balasubramanian of Massey; and Associate Professor Geoff Lealand of Waikato University.
Read more here.