While nearly 8 in 10 teachers are women, just 3 in 10 school district leaders are female. “Even when superintendent positions open up — and they continue to do so at historic highs each year — the carousel of leadership continues to overlook the most obvious bench of talent,” said Julia Rafal-Baer, founder and CEO of Women Leading Ed, in the report. “Leaders who are highly qualified, battle-tested, utterly fearless, and whom we can no longer afford to overlook: The women of our nation.”
Key findings include:
- Women say they have had to make career sacrifices their male colleagues would not need to make, but are still overlooked for advancement. 77% of women leaders—and 82% of superintendents—report making career sacrifices their male colleagues have not had to make, yet more than half have been passed over for advancement in favor of men.
- Nearly 9 in 10 women feel pressure to dress, speak, or behave a certain way because of being a woman in a senior leadership role. 86% of respondents feel pressured to dress, speak, or behave in specific ways because of their gender, an increase from 82% in 2024.
- Women’s professional judgment and authority face routine challenges. 63% of women leaders—rising to 76% among superintendents—say their professional judgment is questioned more frequently than that of their male counterparts.
The survey also reveals a pattern of additional, uncompensated workload expectations:
- Nearly two-thirds of women leaders (65%) report being asked to take on extra responsibilities not expected of male colleagues.
- About half of superintendents report gender influencing salary negotiations while more than half of respondents have never successfully negotiated their own salaries.
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