The Superintendency: Characteristics of Access for Men and Women

Abstract

Access to the superintendency was examined for 10 men and 10 women who are or have been school superintendents in metropolitanarea school districts with pupil enrollments of 1,000 to 7,000. The qualitative investigation addressed the subjects' background characteristics and early socialization, and the elements in organizational structures related to their access to management positions. The purpose of the inquiry was to determine some predictors of access to the school superintendency for men and women, with particular emphasis on predictors of access for women. Based on the developmental theory of status attainment and Kanter's ideas on organizational structure, the study has implications for those interested in the career mobility of groups in the workforce ordinarily constrained from upward mobility.