Abstract:
This paper uses survey data to explore the extent to which greater contact
with women school administrators and changing generations can
influence public prejudice toward women administrators and override
the impact of regional and educational differences on these attitudes.
Little support is found for these possibilities. Specifications of cognitive
dissonance and consistency theories, specifically involving the problems
of generalizing from one situation to another and the need for sufficient
stimuli to create dissonance, are used to explain these findings. If affirmative
action programs result in more women being hired for line administrative
positions, however, it is suggested that sufficient dissonance or
cognitive inconsistency may be created to produce attitude change.