Job Satisfaction Indicators for Tenure and Non-Tenure Track Social Work Faculty: Similar but Not Equal

Despite sharing similar job responsibilities, two distinctly different career pathways exist within the social work professorate in the United States: tenure-track and non-tenure track. Tenure track faculty generally hold an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances. Non-tenure track faculty generally hold contingent appointments with few protections. To expand understanding about differences and similarities between the two groups, the survey of 927 social work faculty in the United States focused on five indicators of job satisfaction: professional connectedness, workplace empowerment, career satisfaction, stress, and beliefs about workplace fairness. Findings show high levels of job satisfaction for both groups; however, non-tenure track faculty respondents reported lower career satisfaction than their tenure-track peers. Most respondents also report a belief that organizational unfairness exists based on gender, ethnicity, and academic rank. Yet, more non-tenure track faculty then tenure-track faculty report beliefs about organizational unfairness for both gender and academic rank than tenure-track faculty. Although limitations exist, the initial findings from the study highlight the importance of promoting workplace fairness within the social work professorate.