Family Roles, Lack of Mentors among Reasons for Fewer Female Superintendents
by Zachary DiSchiano
Inequity at the Top
HR Files
In the summer edition of the HR Exchange newsletter, a report conducted by TASB HR Services aimed at identifying trends among male and female
superintendents contained
some illuminating figures—the
most eye-opening of which was
a highly imbalanced distribution of superintendent jobs
between males (81 percent)
and females ( 19 percent).
The report also listed
possible reasons behind the
inequity, such as gender bias,
subconscious preferences,
self-removal of the pursuit for
a superintendency, and family
considerations. TASB HR
Services recently talked with
female superintendents for their
perspectives on the matter.
Unique Challenges
Karen Rue has served as
superintendent of Northwest
ISD for 11 years with great success. She was named Region 11
Superintendent of the Year and
served as president of the Texas
Association of School Administrators. Along the way, Rue has
encountered some unique challenges. During one interview
for a superintendent vacancy,
for example, Rue fielded a
rather inapt question.
“In one district, I got a
question asked by one of the
board members, which was,
‘We’ve never hired a female
superintendent. What will we
tell people if we hire a female
superintendent?’”
A couple of people in the
room gasped.
“I just looked at him and
said, ‘Well, you tell them you
hired the best person for the
job.’”
This was the only overt
occasion, Rue said, where she
bumped into any discrimina-
tory comments. While she
does believe there may be
others who have been sub-
ject to negative bias based on
their gender, Rue had some
additional thoughts on why
women are scarcely found in
the position.
“I think that some women
don’t see the potential that they
have,” she said. “They limit
themselves, for a variety of
reasons. They think about their
role in a traditional family; they
put off a career. They make
decisions and choices that
are right for them and their
families. So for a lot of women,
they move more slowly into
administrative roles or into a
superintendency, if that’s what
they’re seeking. Or they just
don’t go there at all, if they stop
at a principalship or move into
a central office role.”
The family element, for
many people, is a major factor
in determining career paths
and deciding where to live and
work. Superintendents have
immense time commitments to
their jobs, and those con-
straints can have a tremendous
impact on individuals who
want to spend just as much
time raising a family as they do
enjoying their career.
A Difficult Balance
Dee Carter, superintendent
at Navarro ISD, said the job
forces women to do one of
three things regarding family
circumstances.
