Despite a deep level of commitment, enthusiasm and drive among women in newspaper management, troubling trends still make it hard for them to advance to the top.

Progress has slowed, after a spurt in the 1980s, as women today fill about 30 percent of senior management jobs, the same as several years ago. That number drops to eight percent for the very top positions of president, publisher and CEO, according to a survey of 137 newspapers with circulation over 85,000.

Retention is a problem, with the rate of departure higher for women than for men. And those leaving newspapers are twice as likely as people in other businesses to say the workplace is not conducive to balancing work and family responsibilities.

Many women say they become frustrated when they feel themselves stagnating.

The pipeline seems to get clogged, for example, between managing editor (38 percent women) and the top editorial executive position (25 percent female).

Some women get out of newspapers entirely to seek new challenges.

This two-year study of women in newspapers explores the reasons progress has stalled and what newspapers need to do to retain and benefit from the talents of top women.

To read this report from the Center, click the link below. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view the PDF version of the report. You can download a free version of Reader at the Adobe Web site.

Women in Newspapers (PDF - 5.72MB)