69´«Ã½

School & District Management

Women in the K-12 Workforce, by the Numbers

By Denisa R. Superville — March 08, 2023 1 min read
Gender Inequality 082023 1125384696 01
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Walk into a classroom in any public school in the country, and you’ll likely see a woman in front of the class.

Take a detour into the principal’s office and those chances go down.

By the time you get to the superintendent’s chair, particularly if it’s in one of the 500 largest school systems, the odds of finding a woman sitting there are about 3 in 10.

Education is largely powered by women, but in the rooms where big decisions are made—i.e., the superintendents’ offices—the power brokers are often male.

Education Week has reported on the structural factors and barriers that have resulted in the low number of women in the top district position—from outright and implicit bias, lack of mentors and supports, to personal choices.

Those factors were exacerbated during the pandemic, when women in all sectors bore a heavy toll.

Female superintendents in large districts, for example, were more likely to be replaced by men when the positions became vacant during the pandemic years, according to the ILO Group, which focuses on increasing the number of women in the superintendency.

We’ve also explored pay disparity in the principalship.

In a 2021 paper published in Economics of Education Review, researchers Jason Grissom Jennifer D. Timmer, Jennifer L. Nelson, and Richard S. L. Blissett looked at Missouri principal data and found that female principals made approximately $1,000 less annually than their male counterparts—even when the type of school, performance, and working hours were considered.

Throughout March, which is Women’s History Month, Education Week will feature interviews with female K-12 leaders—at the school and district levels—about their experiences in the education workforce and how they think the sector can address the gender disparities in high-level positions, as well as salaries. We’ll also be asking them about challenges they faced, their advice for up and coming female leaders, and other lessons and highlights from their professional journeys.

Denisa R. Superville was an assistant editor at Education Week who focused on principals and school leadership.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ã½
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69´«Ã½
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump’s pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It’s a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva