Fifty percent (260) of the women in the United States identified as holding positions of superintendents, assistant/associate superintendents, and high school principals responded to questionnaires concerning career contingencies, career patterns, and career attitudes. Based on data from previous studies of men administrators, the women were, as a group, more heterogeneous as revealed by the informal career attributes of marital status, race, religion, and politics. Women have less geographical mobility than men. More women have only a bachelor's degree; however, more women superintendents (33 percent) than men superintendents (12 percent) have obtained doctorates. Women entered teaching earlier than did men, but their teaching careers were often discontinuous. Further, women decided to enter administration and to seek advanced degrees when they were older than their male counterparts. Women find job characteristics more important than position title or salary, and experience higher job satisfaction than men. (Author/MLF)