Examining Gender Bias Within the Hiring Practices of the Superintendency

• In Event: Research on the Superintendency SIG (#97) Paper Session 1: Hiring, Knowledge, Resilience, and Ascension

Abstract

Female leaders are underrepresented, specifically for the position of the K-12 superintendent. Though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to address discriminatory hiring practices, unregulated practices continue to occur in the hiring practices of the superintendency resulting in male domination. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the hiring practices of the superintendency and determine if gender bias plays a contributing factor in the selection process for superintendent candidates. This qualitative study used the theoretical lens of habitus and feminism. The study findings ranged from hegemonic conditions, internalized barriers, social norms, and the normalization of male-dominated characteristics. The results indicated that gender does play a role in the selection process of a K-12 superintendent candidate.

Author

• Sally Jarvis-Lubbe, California State University - Fullerton
  Presenting Author