Date of Award

4-1984

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Richard Munsterman

Second Advisor

Jean Ramsey

Third Advisor

Lawrence Schlack

Abstract

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of women completing advanced degrees in education administration during the past decade. Yet, the number of women administrators has decreased during this same time period. The purpose of this study was to compare career aspirations, job seeking patterns, and career patterns of men and women doctorates in educational administration.

The sample consisted of 118 men and 118 women who received doctorates in educational administration or educational leadership from Mid-American Conference universities between 1976-1980. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data. The 23 hypotheses were tested using a chi-square test or a t test for independent means. The following conclusions are based upon the findings of the study: Career Aspirations. There were some differences in the career aspirations of men and women doctorates in educational administration. More males aspired to the superintendency at the time of doctoral completion and as a final career goal. More females were interested in becoming college professors at the time of doctoral completion. The women doctorates had lower career aspirations than the men. Job Seeking Patterns. The women doctorates were somewhat more aggressive in their job seeking patterns than the men. The women used slightly more informal and formal job seeking methods and applied for more jobs when looking for their present position. Career Patterns. There were differences in the career patterns of men and women doctorates in educational administration. The males had more administrative or management experience prior to completing the doctorate, while the women had more teaching experience. The typical career path for the men doctorates was that of K-12 public/private school administrator. The women doctorates followed more diverse career paths including college professor, K-12 public/private school administrator, and higher education administrator. The males earned more money than the females. More women perceived home and family responsibilities, lack of available jobs, lack of opportunities for promotion and advancement, sex discrimination, and inability to relocate as major constraints in their career. More women perceived themselves to be underemployed. No support was found for sex differences in degree of satisfaction with career progress.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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