April 14, 2026

Women make up most of the educator workforce, yet they remain less represented in the highest levels of school-system leadership. In U.S. public schools, women comprised 56 percent of principals in 2020–21, while superintendent roles remained far more male-dominated: recent national estimates place women at roughly 27–29 percent of superintendents in 2023–24 and 2024–25. This pattern suggests that the confidence needed to move upward is not simply an individual trait problem; it develops within a leadership pipeline that is more open to women at some levels than at others. (National Center for Education Statistics)

A useful frame for this literature is self-efficacy, or a person’s belief in her capability to organize and carry out the actions required for successful performance. Across leadership research, self-efficacy is closely tied to whether individuals see themselves as ready for leadership, pursue stretch roles, persist through setbacks, and interpret challenge as growth rather than proof they do not belong. In studies of women and leadership, higher self-efficacy is associated with stronger leadership aspiration and greater willingness to pursue advancement. (Scholars Middle East Publishers)

Within educational leadership specifically, the literature suggests that women gain confidence to move up not through generic encouragement alone, but through a combination of mastery experiences, mentoring, sponsorship, visible role models, leadership identity affirmation, organizational access, and the reduction of gendered barriers. The research consistently points to confidence as relational and contextual, not merely internal. (ERIC)