The Trials and Struggles of Women in the Workforce: Job Satisfaction in the Appalachian Region

Doctoral Dissertation Research

The intent of this survey study that was conducted in Kentucky was to be able to compare employed women who live in an Appalachian Region to working women who live outside in metropolitan areas. The study questioned whether these two groups of women faced diverse types of difficulties, whether their job choices were similarly limited by their job aspirations and whether the equivalent factors were essential to each group in attaining overall job satisfaction. The study had hypothesized that in contrast to women who worked outside of the Appalachian Region, women working in an Appalachian Region would be more likely to experience challenges, less likely to report that their jobs met their job aspirations, and less satisfied with their jobs, but there were no significant differences in these variables based on region.