Women in Texas local government: the road to city manager

Abstract

This chapter begins by noting a puzzling fact. Women's participation as city managers in the US has remained steady at 12 - 14% since the 1980s. This puzzle is investigated through two empirical studies of Texas women in city leadership positions. The first explores the career paths of women city managers using their resumes. It revealed that most women city managers, work where their career began. The second study examines the city management pipeline through a survey of women Assistant City Managers and Department Directors. The findings show that the city manager pipeline is filled with well-educated women, who, often work 50 hours a week as they care for families. 58% aspire to be city managers. This percent is higher among women who completed an advanced degree or had a mentor. These findings suggest that the supply of interested and qualified women should be pushing up the, seemingly fixed, 12-14% ceiling.