Non-Ordained Workers in the Catholic Church: Power and Mobility among American Nuns

Recent research has focused on the relationship between structurally based sources of organizational power such as opportunities for career mobility and independent decision making. This research, however, has rarely been applied to church organizations, and not at all to the situation of non-ordained workers in the Catholic Church. The present study applies the concept of structurally based organizational power to Roman Catholic nuns working in parish and diocesan positions, and compares them to the nuns who continue to work in more traditional education and health care institutions. Preliminary evidence is discovered to indicate that the respondents with fewer opportunities for career mobility and independent decision making are less satisfied with their jobs and more likely to anticipate leaving them in the near future. At the conclusion of the article, some tentative hypotheses are suggested for future research.