198 CRITICAL THEORY AND LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
THE MYTHS
Female Superintendents and Age
A majority of the women surveyed, 67%, were between the ages of 50–59. The remaining
age ranges were 15% between the ages of 36 - 49, 16% were 60 years of age or older and only
.5% were between the ages of 25–35. However, 50% of the women obtained their first
superintendency between the ages of 36–49 and 43% between the ages of 50–59. These two
quantitative measures imply that most survey participants were experienced
superintendents.These encouraging statistics could indicate a trend in shattering the “glass
ceiling” phenomenon at an earlier age than in previous decades. The 2000 AASA study
reported that 21.1% of female superintendents had obtained their first administrative position
(as opposed to a superintendent position) before age 30 as compared to 53% of their male
counterparts (Brunner, 2000 in Glass, et al., p. 85). Search firms interviewing candidates for
the superintendent position have cited the advanced age of women applying for these
positions (Dana & Bourisaw, 2006). Kamler and Shakeshaft (1999) reported consultants who
remarked that females who had been working in the teaching field for “fifteen, twenty,
twenty-five years” were looking for a superintendent position at the age 55 or 60 when the
males were retiring age 55 making it difficult for them to get jobs” (1999 in Brunner, p.57).
Survey results imply that women are now entering the administrative pipeline at an earlier age
giving them a more competitive footing in the superintendent marketplace.
Is Relocation an Issue?
Another impediment often mentioned to obtaining a superintendent position has been the
ability or willingness to relocate. “Women are sometimes place-bound and unable to make a
move without separating from the family, a step that has been judged in the sex-role
stereotype for women as unwise, particularly if there are children at home. Commuter
marriages are becoming more common, particularly after the children have left home to
pursue their own education and life experiences (Dana & Bourisaw, 2006, p. 72).
“Responsibilities at home and at work may be partially solvable through paid help, but a lack
of mobility to achieve job advancement may be a tougher barrier to conquer (McCreight,
1999, p. 3). McCreight reported that in an Illinois study of 1,300 female educators holding
administration certification, 78% reported they would not relocate for an administrative
position. The 2000 AASA study reported that 41% of the women cited the lack of mobility of
family members as an “important factor“and a barrier limiting administrative opportunities
with 47.1% citing it as a “somewhat important factor,” and 8.5% reporting it as “not a factor”
compared to the men’s 13.9% (Brunner, 2000 in Glass et al., p. 88). Note that 50.6% of the
men said that the mobility of family members was a “somewhat important factor” in the
AASA study (p. 88).
To determine the level of commitment to acquiring a superintendents’ position, a question
participants were asked if they would be willing to relocate for an opportunity to assume the
job of a superintendent. Of the 390 who responded, 37% said they would not be willing to
relocate. However, the remaining 63% indicated that this was a possibility with 12%
responding that they would move to another state to acquire the position (See Table 1).