The Effect of a Teacher's Sex on Career Development

A survey was conducted of a sample of 1,163 male and female teachers, consultants, and administrators of a large, urban school system. Data was collected about their formal qualifications, job performance, the extent to which they had been encouraged to apply for promotion, the number of applications they had made, and the positions they had held. The data was analyzed using a series of stepwise multiple regression analyses. Results indicated that there were both independent and cumulative effects for sex at each stage of a teacher's career. Woman teachers, first of all, had less formal qualifications in terms of years of experience and earned degrees and certificates. But even women with equivalent qualifications to men performed at a lower level. Likewise, lower qualifications and job performance resulted in women receiving less encouragement to apply for promotion, but even well qualified women were less likely to receive encouragement than men of equivalent standing. The same was true for number of applications, and for promotion itself, with both cumulative and independent effects for sex being present. Data on the few women who were in positions of responsibility showed that they were older, less likely to be married, and held lower level positions than men in positions of responsibility, even though their job performance and level of encouragement was the same. (The teacher questionnaire, descriptions of the career development concepts presented, and tables are included in the appendixes.) (Author/BD)