Data from CoSN’s 2014 ‘K-12 IT Leadership Survey’ raise important questions about gender equity in the school technology field
While women who occupy leadership positions in school technology are better educated and have more experience, on average, than their male colleagues, men in the school information technology (IT) field generally earn more money and hold more prestigious job titles: This is the main takeaway from an analysis of IT leadership in K-12 education by gender.
The findings are based on a sampling of data from the Consortium for School Networking’s 2014 “K-12 IT Leadership Survey.” They raise important questions about fairness, compensation, and leadership for women in school IT.
“Our findings reveal that, despite equity gains in recent years across industry sectors, gender disparity and bias [still] exist … in our nation’s schools,” said Keith Krueger, CoSN’s chief executive, in a statement.
“The results should open the eyes of our school leadership and communities to the inequality with which many women technology leaders compete against in the field,” Krueger added. “At a minimum, this issue merits further research and action to ensure women are fully represented and treated fairly throughout their professional careers in K-12 education and elsewhere.”
An analysis of the findings from CoSN’s annual IT leadership survey unearthed the following results:
Representation. Women are less represented in IT leadership positions in K-12 education than men. Sixty-six percent of those surveyed identified themselves as men, whereas just 34 percent were women.
Earnings. Women in school IT leadership positions generally earn less than men. Forty-eight percent of men earn $100,000 or more, whereas 36 percent of women earn that amount. At the low end of the pay scale, 15 percent of men earn less than $70,000, compared with 26 percent of women.
(Next page: Information about job titles, educational attainment, and experience of men vs. women in school IT)
Job titles. Women in school IT leadership positions have less prestigious titles than men. Compared to 15 percent of men’s titles, nearly one-quarter of women’s titles suggest intermediate positions, including manager, coordinator, school technology leader, or a director title. Compared to 63 percent of women, nearly three-quarters of men possess higher designations, such as chief technology officer, chief information officer, or district technology officer.
Educational attainment. Women in school IT leadership positions have higher levels of education, on average, than men. Seventy-nine percent of women in school district leadership positions have graduate degrees, compared to 68 percent of men.
Experience. Women have been in the school IT field for longer and have held their positions for longer than men. Eighty-five percent of women in school district leadership roles have 10 or more years of industry experience, compared to 73 percent of men.
You can read the full analysis here.
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