As part of a larger research project at the University of Kentucky, a study was conducted to discover why there are so few women administrators in the upper levels of vocational education administration. The objective of the study was to examine employer perceptions of the qualifications of male and female applicants for administrative positions in vocational education. The study focused on the screening process through indirect assessment. A sample of 114 persons who have responsibility for appointing vocational administrators in Kentucky evaluated average and superior male and female applicants on the basis of two pairs of fictional resumes. They considered seven criteria--educational background, employment experience, career commitment, leadership potential, interpersonal skills, professional involvement, and written recommendations. The study found that sex is an important factor in the evaluation of equally qualified male and female applicants for administrative positions although there were not significant differences in the overall ratings for equally qualified applicants. The findings indicate that the employers in this study see the employment experience of a man as more valuable than the same experience belonging to a woman, and that they perceive women as more competent than men in the area of interpersonal skills. The findings also indicate that women with average qualifications may compete favorably with equally qualified men, but women with superior qualifications may be overlooked. Recommendations were made for treating the issue of sex bias in graduate programs and in inservice education, and for further research on sex bias in employment. (KC)