Superintendent Gender and Finalist Searches

• In Event: Occupational Segregation and the Wage Gap Between Men and Women

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to explore the relationship between the nature of superintendent searches and the resulting outcomes for women educational leaders.  Drawing on similar research from the business world, this report asks the question of whether listing finalist candidates publicly leads to a greater propensity for a woman candidate to be selected, and whether the composition of the final candidate list is a factor in the final hiring decision. In searches across 5 states where we are able to find information about finalists for candidate positions, we find that having more than one woman in the finalist pool is associated with a 135 percent increase in the chance that the current superintendent is female.

Author

• Constance A. Lindsay, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author