| During the last 3 decades, feminist research has attempted to explicate the issues surrounding the disproportionate number of women in school administration. This collective body of research includes feminism in all of its iterations and the social-historical forces that have created the current state of reality. In an attempt to understand leadership by understanding leaders, this qualitative study began with the findings from recent research with women in principalships and superintendencies and applied them to female central office administrators. These women in the central office represent an understudied group.; Findings revealed that female central office administrators demonstrate nonlinear career paths, experience sexism in the workplace, and are situated in staff positions that inhibit their progression to more powerful positions in the administrative hierarchy. Participants believed that the maneuvering of behind-the-scenes power networks is essentially unfair, and they have had weak mentoring relationships. Participants also resisted an alignment with feminism and tended to explain gender differentials in essentialistic terms. Participants carry the double burden of full-time employment while caring for family matters. Using a poststructural feminist perspective, where language is the lens to disclose patterns, assumptions, and beliefs, conclusions suggest that there are mechanisms in place that inhibit change. There is some hopeful evidence, however, to suggest that the discourse is slowly changing. |
