Introduction
The field of education is gender specific. Women teach and men administer.(Ortiz
& Marshal, 1995) Kruger (1996) suggests the difference in gender is a result of a
combination of gender and school culture.
Whitaker and Lane (1990) state while many professional career fields are showing an
increase of women in managerial positions , the same cannot be said for women in
education. The relevant data on equality of opportunity in educational administration
reveals sex- more than age, experience, background, or competence - determines the role
an individual will hold in education. Women are limited by social expectations, parental
obligations and self-direction. (Whitaker& Lane, 1990) With 2.3 million teachers in the
United States, one study (Koepke, 1990) showed of the total population surveyed, female
superintendents constituted 3.7 percent, assistant superintendents, 22 percent, principals
constituted 24 percent, and other school administrative positions 30 percent. (Conner &
Sharp 1992)
An article in the American Association of School Administrators Leadership, 1995,
cited 39 percent of the superintendents responding to a national survey had indicated they
planned to retire in the next five years and an additional 57.6 percent planned to retire in
the next nine to 10 years. (Sheppard, 1998) Recently a survey conducted in the southeast
region of Missouri indicated this information to be true, confirming a shortage of school
administrators. (Sheppard, 1998) Sheppard’s study also collected data regarding the
gender of individuals entering the administration field. She states:
Men were hired for 81 percent of the 144 positions and women were
hired for 19 percent of the positions.... 51 percent of the current graduate students
in educational administration at Southeast Missouri State University are men and
49 percent are women.2
Although women aspire to administrative positions, they have been applying for
only half the position as men have and receive less than half as many interviews.
( Sheppard, 1998) Often women are not considered as seriously as men are by
superintendents and boards of education.
During the last 20 years, gender has emerged as a significant focus in research on
school leadership. People have sought to explain the continuation of the male dominance
in educational administration, while researchers have looked into whether and how gender
shapes men’s and women’s leadership styles and commitments. (Bell & Chase, 1995) In
order to understand these differences, we must first look into what distinctions become
obvious through leadership theory.
Homepage
Leadership Theory
What Makes Women Different
Barriers to Success
Job Satisfaction
Leadership Styles
Overall Expectations
Emotional Managers
Career Paths
Mentorship
Here Come the Women
References
Bibliography
