Women in Educational Administration: Paths and Profiles.

A human science approach has been used to examine the particular life-worlds of women administrators in educational organizations. Specific sections of this study focus on women in an urban school system, including an elementary principal, an assistant high school principal, an alternative school principal, a central office administrator, and six community educators; a woman district superintendent in a rural school setting; and two college administrators, one in a public university and the other in a private proprietary institution. Her administrative role as defined by the organization, her leadership and management style as defined and perceived by herself, and her interrelationships with peers, subordinates, and superordinates in the organizational setting are contributing factors that shape the personal and professional experiences of the woman administrator. The political, social, and cultural dynamics of the organization itself and the pervading influence of the larger social, political, and cultural environment on the organization contribute to her life-world as well. While the woman administrator's specific role within the organization shapes much of her interaction with others, her perception of that role shapes her leadership and management style. Her prior socialization, her acquired skills, and her personal and professional networks influence her behavior within the organization. The study suggests that while women administrators flourish in settings where more of them are in leadership roles, in environments where they have access to the flow of information, and in situations where they exercise a modicum of control, they still experience the peculiar dilemma of being outsiders in organizations that are dominated by males. In exploring the importance of meaning in the work experience, the significance of personal and professional reinforcement and recognition, the value of mentors and networks, the perceptions of power and the diversity of roles, styles, and perceptions among the women themselves, the study provides a perspective on individual and organizational interrelationships that contributes to an underst and ing of the complex processes of the interaction between women administrators and the educational organizations of which they are part.PhDEducational administrationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159794/1/8402339.pd