Gender and the Role of Directors of Public Administration and Policy Programs

Abstract

This article examines the role of gender as it relates to director positions in Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs. It specifically investigates whether women are more likely than men to serve as MPA and MPP program directors and whether men and women report different experiences in the role, such as length of service, rewards and burdens, and possible constraints on research and teaching and thus promotion potential. We surveyed schools offering MPA and MPP degrees and found that women served as program directors proportional to their representation among the faculty, at about 35%. Interview findings suggest that while some gendered characterizations of women’s leadership persist, men and women program directors and faculty experience similar struggles in balancing their administrative roles with the demands of teaching and research, both of which are likely to suffer during their service.

Keywords:

• Gender
• academic service
• public affairs

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bonnie Stabile

Bonnie Stabile is a research assistant professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. Her research and academic interests include gender and reproductive policy, policy analysis, program evaluation, and ethics.

Jessica Terman

Jessica Terman is an assistant professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. Her research focuses on implementation issues in public management, the tools of third-party governance, and bureaucratic policy making.

Catherine Kuerbitz

Catherine Kuerbitz is a legislative manager for a government consulting firm in Washington, DC.