Over the last decades, policy trends have differentially and negatively affected women educators, defied, denied or repressed feminist values and missed opportunities for using feminist insights to reframe policy issues. This article provides a critical feminist analysis of educational and social policies with negative implications for women in…

Women's participation in school administration is low and actually declining, despite legislation, affirmative action, and special programs. This article views the research guiding educational policy as useful, but concerned with ancillary issues. After a literature review of sex discrimination, administrator gender differences, role conflicts,…

This study is concerned with local educational agencies' interpretation of federal and state sex equity policies. After briefly discussing "slippage" that occurs as policy decisions move through federal and state systems, the article addresses legitimacy and implementation issues. Since sex equity policies have goals for altering…

Reviews the literature on women administrators in education. Describes an ethnographic study of 25 women administrators conducted to determine the salient organizational processes which enable people to advance in administration, and how these processes affect women's aspiration formation and career mobility. Looks at three stages of career…

Women seeking education administration careers in the 1980's will find their employment opportunities limited by declining enrollments and unenforced affirmative action programs. The informal networks and sponsoring mechanisms aiding men's career mobility are generally unavailable to women. Universities can play a key role in developing pools of…

Applies Erving Goffman's stigma theory to impressions of 25 women in educational administration careers. Analyzes data from an earlier study to show how women administrators, confronted with male leadership norms, deviate, acquire stigma, and become marginal. Concludes with suggestions for change, citing 32 references. (MLH)