One explanation of the disproportionately low percentage of women in school administration is the commonly held assumption that men are better managers than women. As a test of this assumption, the task performances of five female high school principals were described, analyzed, and compared with those of five male high school principals. Data were collected through interviews and through structured observation of the principals' personal contacts and correspondence and the types and chronology of their daily activities. The findings indicate that the male and female principals' overall task performances were similar, especially in such areas as types and duration of different activities and pace and volume of workload. However, the female principals had higher percentages of contacts initiated by others, shorter desk work sessions during the school day (but longer sessions after school hours), higher percentages of contacts with superiors, longer phone calls and meetings, and more likelihood of carrying out planning during meetings. Discussion of possible causes and implications of these differences illustrates the need for further research on school administrator behavior and especially on sex-related differences. A table is appended comparing the principals' average times in different activities. (Author/RW)