Poster #32 - Gatekeeping Demographics of Educational Administration: The Case of Male Dominance

• In Event: 25.087 - MTCC Poster Session Four
  In Poster Session: 25.087-5 - Division A Graduate Student Poster Session

Abstract

Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate gender bias as a gatekeeping mechanism for high-level educational administration positions. I report findings from preliminary field interviews with female administrators. The scholarly significance of this research is that the findings suggest homosocial reproduction and social closure are occurring to exclude women from educational administration positions. Women administrators do not have as extensive social network ties as men and these executive networks are masculinized and favor men over women. Cultivating networks, through mentoring and accessing “good old boys clubs” can reduce women’s exclusion from executive jobs.

Descriptors
Leadership, Male Dominance, Female Exclusion

Author

• Katherine Merriweather, Austin Community College