Prekarierinnen? Geschlechterspezifische Unterschiede prekärer Arbeit im Journalismus

The financial challenges that the media industry has been facing in the recent decades, have fueled the debate about the increasing precarization of the working conditions in journalism, which can lead to an erosion of news quality. This study examined the neglected gender-specific aspect of precarious employment in journalism, both generally and in the context of Covid-19. Based on an online survey of 983 full-time journalists, the study investigated whether female journalists in Germany are more affected by objective precarity than their male counterparts. The results indicate both signs for gender-specific and gender-independent precarity. Regardless of gender, freelancers exhibit the greatest potential for precarity. In addition to a gender pay gap, the fact that female journalists more often engage in atypical employment, primarily due to caregiving responsibilities, proves to be a gender-specific indicator of precarity. The results suggest gender-specific inequality in journalism, heightening the potential for precarity among women. The Covid-19 pandemic acutely aggravated the precarious work situation of many journalists but did not particularly affect female journalists.