ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the career paths of women chief housing officers, employed by local authorities in England and Wales, who were in post in the latter half of 1989. At this time ten were identified, representing 3 per cent of all those holding such a post. The research was undertaken to complement that of Janice Morphet (1993), who investigated the career pattern of women chief executives, of whom only four were identified as holding such a post in England in 1989. The purpose of both studies was to examine the means by which the women achieved these high status posts and to compare their progress with that of other women achievers. Whilst Morphet’s study found two clear pathways by which women chief executives achieved their position, there were several routes adopted by women chief housing officers, the main route being through estate management, starting out as housing management trainees. Both the women chief executives and the chief housing officers stated that they encountered no particular problems relating to their gender but all expressed clear views on their management styles. Morphet (1993) comments that this self-knowledge may explain, in part, their success. The results of both studies provide some indication of what women may need to do if they wish to reach top jobs in local government.
