Hey everyone. Thanks for sipping the tea today. I'm Jasmine, your host and I'll be talking about the best ways to bring your own folding chair when there's not a seat at the table. I am so excited to talk about this. I know many of our listeners are women educators. So, my goal today is kind of twofold. First, I'll be debunking myths and setting the record straight about how the education field has been shaped and molded into what we see today. I'll also be discussing how women educators have become more and more empowered to break the glass ceiling and take our rightful position at the tables that were once exclusively reserved for men. So, let's jump into it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I posted a myth busters video to the gram in which I talked about two widely shared misconceptions about women in education. We've all heard said, or at least have thought it in our heads that the field has always been female dominated and low paying. While there is some truth and merit to both of those statements, they are myths within the context in which they are meant. Let's start with the idea that the education field has always been female dominated. Not entirely. As I explained a few weeks ago, around the 15 hundreds at the start of the colonial period to around the late 18 hundreds, when the industrial revolution made its way to the United States, white educated men actually dominated the field of education. Thanks to the industrial revolution, men were presented with access to more lucrative and stable jobs. Therefore, men began leaving the teaching profession thanks to all of the new developments and expansions our country was receiving at that time. And also people were getting their swerve on, which meant more babies. And we know more babies meant more schools were needed. So, at that point, schools and districts started recruiting young white women to join the profession. And by 1900 white women inevitably dominated the teaching field. So, that means from 1500 to 1900 for almost 400 years, men dominated the field. While women dominated the field from 1900 to 2022; so about 122 years. Not even half as long as men did. I think we can say,"Myth One" debunked. Now myth two: the education field has always been a low paying field. Now. Yes, that's true. Still though, not in the context in which we know and usually mean it. Back when men dominated the education field, they spent time teaching as a way to supplement their income during the off seasons of farming or during their transition periods to other fields. Yes, the pay was lower than what they would usually earn during farming season or what they would eventually go on to make as doctors, lawyers, industrial workers, et cetera, but it was still enough to sustain a decent living and provide for their families. So when the industrial revolution made its way to America and men actively transitioned from the classroom to other professions, this left a ton of teacher vacancies. Remember, also during this time there was an increased demand for more schools. Both of these things sparked what we call today, our first bout with school reform. Which you know, is a fancy way to say"let's change it up a bit and start addressing some of our needs and gaps." This led to change in how we did school back then and the structure of schools and school districts, which also inevitably meant the introduction to new and important roles such as principals, assistant principals, superintendents, and educational experts. To paraphrase what happened over the course of the next 20 to 30 years or so, as men were leaving the teaching profession, many of them actually stayed in the field of education, but they opted for those leadership and expert roles. And two really big decisions that were made by the leaders and experts, was to actively recruit white women to fill the empty teaching seats, and adjust the teacher salaries in order to compensate for the salaries of those new leadership and expert roles. Back then you see much like today, schools were funded with what we call a version of taxpayer dollars, which essentially meant there wasn't a big pool to draw from when allocating dollars towards teacher salaries. So, what to do, what to do, what to do? Ah, lower the teaching salaries in order to afford the higher paying leadership and expert salaries; which meant women... teachers were making even less than men when they were teachers, which was already lower than other professions to begin with. This adjustment and decision also meant that there was a glaring discrepancy and gap between the wages of leaders and teachers. With the profession being overwhelmingly, dominated by women, this also meant that the teaching profession itself paid low wages. And there you have it. I think we can say,"Myth Two" debunked. So, what does this mean and look like today? Well, unfortunately not much has changed since the 19 hundreds. Women are still overrepresented in the teaching field. Men are still overrepresented in leadership roles, and there is still a discrepancy between teacher and leader salaries. Studies as recent as 2021, show that 76% of public school teachers are female and 24% are male. The ratio of men and women in education leadership is two to one and there is a 21% pay difference between teachers and leaders. To add to that... a report from the Council of Great City Schools revealed that pay gaps in education, start in the classroom and follow women into the principal's office the principal's office. This is an exact quote that I'll circle back to a little bit later. But I do want to stamp that the report reveals in Illinois, for example, female teachers make on average$2,000, less per year than their male colleagues. And the gap grows to$4,000 at the leadership level. Two thirds of superintendents are. And they out earn their female counterparts by an average of 20,000 to$30,000 per year. At the state level, this is no different. There's a similar gender gap of$25,000 per year. Even though there is still a large gap between men and women with regard to salary and attaining leadership roles, that gap has narrowed over time. Back in 1987, the salary gap between men and women educators was 42%. And today that gap is at 21%. Similarly in 1987, the ratio of men to women in leadership was three to one; and today that ratio is two to one. Now I would be remiss if I didn't highlight that most of the gap closing in leadership positions between men and women has occurred at the principal level, being the highest level with 52% of principals being women. However, still as of 2021, two thirds of superintendents and state level administrators are men. There is still so much work to be done with addressing and combating these disparities. But women have been making remarkable strides and making a spot for ourselves in education leadership. From my own experience, as a female educator, I found three practices that have helped me break barriers and shatter glass ceilings. I'd like to share them with you. The first thing I had to learn along my journey was the importance of mentorship and sponsorship. I've always sought after mentors who are willing to share the things they've learned along their journey. I made sure to observe their practices and adopt them as my own. After all, there is a saying that the best teachers are also the best thieves. We watch our mentors model successful approaches and practices. We try it ourselves and we refine them and make them better. My mentors have also shared encouragement and advice and helped me build my own confidence, which in its own right is totally invaluable. Now my sponsors have served a different, but just as important purpose as my mentors. Sponsors are to be those who have influence in the field and can use that influence on your behalf. I've been fortunate and strategic enough and my career to find great sponsors who have all believed in me and given me an opportunity to shine and thrive. Everyone should have a sponsor who will advocate for you and along side you and pursuit of your growth and happiness. Which brings me to my second practice--advocating for myself. Anyone who knows me, knows that I pull no punches in fighting for myself and what I believe in, but this is not always the case for women. In fact, centuries of socialism and sexism have taught us to shy away from being assertive or straightforward and standing up and speaking out. Society tells us that this behavior from men in the workplace is strong, commanding and direct, but when women conduct ourselves in the same manner, it is seen as aggressive, confrontational, hostile, or even all of the above. However I have learned the sweet spot. Well, somewhat; I'm still working on myself. But I have learned to advocate for myself in a way that prioritizes clearly and compellingly communicating my intended outcomes and highlighting the inequities or disparities that are standing in my way. The key words here are"clearly" and"compellingly"... I avoid the naivete of thinking that no one will be defensive or take what I'm saying personally. So, I put forth the time and intentionality in standing up for myself in a way that creates resonance from the listener. The best and most successful advocates have have sparked conviction and empathy. This is what it takes to truly make people hear you and understand you, and also become more aware of the changes that need to be made. It is at that point, when the door cracks open just enough for you to push it wide open. Which brings me to my third practice attacking and changing the way of doing things. Once that door cracks. I have always pushed it open and quickly sees the opportunity to shift the policies and structural practices that have typically kept women, especially black women, pigeonholed in certain roles. Once I had the ears, minds, hearts, and respect of those who were already in the position of power and authority, I knew it was time to latch on, pull up my chair next to the table, and whip out my folder of the data and evidence that point to all of the changes that needed to be made. I found myself sitting next to the table, metaphorically speaking, by joining resource and focus groups; speaking one-on-one with CEOs and executive directors; or collaborating with human capital teams. These actions have positioned me to effectively engage in certain conversations and initiatives that worked to dismantle structural inequality and actually work to promote equity in my workplace. I cannot stress enough how essential this is for creating the workspace and the workplace that would allow you to move from the side of the table to actually taking a seat at the table. This also creates systemic change that other women, after you can take advantage of. After all, we are all here because of the strong and courageous women who have come before us. And on that note there, you have it. That's the tea. And as Shirley Chisholm, what reminds us all today, When there isn't a seat at the table for you, bring a folding chair." Happy women's history month, everyone. Don't forget to like, and share this episode with your village. And to read more from the sources that I quoted in this episode, visit our website at TheEnrichedEducator.com/ podcast. Thank you for Sipping the T.E.E. With me and I'll see you again soon.