ERIC Number: EJ1235231
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Oct
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2407-9898
EISSN: N/A
Women Superintendent Research: 2014-2016 Dissertation Literature Review Content Analysis
Gresham, Gloria; Sampson, Pauline
Athens Journal of Education, v6 n4 p257-270 Oct 2019
In the United States (U.S.), women are drastically underrepresented in the role of school superintendent. Women who seek the job face overwhelming barriers and exhibit characteristics different from men causing challenges in obtaining the superintendency. In this study, a content analysis was conducted of the 43 U.S. dissertations relating to women superintendents located in the ProQuest database for the years of 2014-2016. Nine major themes mentioned in a range of 20 to 36 dissertations or (47% to 84%) were discovered: low numbers of women superintendents, gender inequity, history of women superintendents, support systems, career pathways, characteristics of women superintendents, leadership styles, barriers, and school board discrimination. Common themes voiced in 10 to 19 dissertations (23% to 40%) were clustered into the categories of cultural and societal expectations, the glass ceiling, racial discrimination, age, and search procedures. Thirty-five themes were included one to nine times in dissertations (2% to 21%) and considered by the researchers as minor. Displaying issues related to women superintendents highlights concerns and encourages solutions.
Descriptors: Superintendents, Women Administrators, Disproportionate Representation, Administrator Role, Barriers, Administrator Characteristics, Gender Differences, Content Analysis, Doctoral Dissertations, Career Development, Racial Discrimination, Leadership Styles, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Females, Elementary Secondary Education
Athens Institute for Education & Research. 8 Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki, Athens 10671, Greece. e-mail: education@atiner.gr; Web site: https://www.athensjournals.gr/aje
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A