JOB SATISFACTION FOR SAUDI FEMALE DEPARTMENT HEADS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN KING SAUD UNIVERSITY AND PRINCESS NOURA UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Research has shown that job satisfaction plays an important role in productivity and organizational commitment, establishment of a positive work environment, reduction of work related stress, and employee retention or turnover. In the university setting, job satisfaction is particularly related to the retention of faculty, effective mutual cooperation among staff, quality of teaching, and efficiency of leadership. The purpose of this study was to measure the current level of job satisfaction for female department heads at King Saud University (a gender segregated university) and Princess Noura University (a women's only university) in Saudi Arabia. A series of independent samples t-tests were used to examine differences in job satisfaction between the samples from these two universities, and multiple regression analysis was utilized to explore factors that contribute to female department heads' job satisfaction in both universities. A qualitative study was also conducted by asking participants open-ended questions to seek insight into other possible factors affecting job satisfaction. No significant difference in overall job satisfaction was found between these two universities; but the pay level and the policy of the institutions were identified as two important factors contributing to overall job satisfaction. The implications of this study to educators and policymakers, the limitations of this study, and the directions for future research were discussed.