Bias In Leadership

Gender Bias in Educational Leadership

Abstract

This paper examines gender bias in leadership as it pertains to this research question: Gender bias, does it exist in education leadership positions and how does it impact biblical teachings? Gender discrimination is a devastating reality, which causes very few people to stand up, take notice and speak out about the issue. Upon examination, the components of this paper will review specific conflict as it relates to biblical, legal and societal implications. Three paramount issues which were assessed include whether male leaders were favored over female leaders, how gender imbalance affects the choices males and females impart and impact, and biblical implications
A Christian leader is someone who is called by God to lead; they lead with and through Christ like character and demonstrate the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place (Blackaby, 2011). In determining a good leader, we typically look for traits which include a sense of power, great negotiating skills, enduring preparation for the role of leadership and excellent communication skills. When examining gender bias in leadership, there are specific behaviors that were utilized by men to impart male dominance within the workplace. These behaviors included lack of eye contact, touching, references to gender, degrading remarks, interrupted speech and condescension (Burns & Martin, 2010). If experienced, these approaches can lead to feelings of inequity and depression. Though frequently utilized within the workplace, these approaches flow from illegitimate sources of influence and are not in keeping with legitimate sources of influence which seeks to have leaders to lead with character, integrity and most importantly with God’s authentication. (Blackaby, 2011). To avoid the listed nuances, and to
While interviewing these women, a review of tendencies and issues that they faced while seeking positions of higher leadership in education were examined. During the 1990s, women were the dominant gender in professional education as well as in university based professional preparation programs for administrators (Chin, 2011). Even though the percentage of women superintendents nearly doubled during the nineties, from 6.6 percent, to 13.2 percent, the vast majority of superintendents remain male. Although many superintendents are retiring, (many view this as the golden age for women in school administration) and significant growth has been viewed by women in the educational profession, this growth has not been viewed as insignificant within the senior level of leadership. Women who seek leadership positions have been encouraged to align themselves with mentors who are experienced in their careers and with those who possess qualities for achieving successful outcomes (Bingham & Nix, 2010). Women have also been encouraged to engage in positions which will project them on their quest to senior level educational leadership and to overcome bias. Most women (around 75 percent) teach on the elementary level. Nearly 75 of current superintendents did not teach at the elementary