Gender and local government: A comparison of women and men city managers

A growing body of literature has found there are important differences in the priorities, leadership styles, and policy agendas of women and men public officials. In this article we examine and compare the behavior of men and women city managers. Explorations of gender and city management have been entirely overlooked in the public administration and women and politics literature. In the end, we find that women city managers are more likely than their male counterparts to incorporate citizen input, facilitate communication, and encourage citizen involvement in their decision-making process. This finding emerged when women and men stated their motivations for involvement in city administration, and when they explained how they made decisions. As a result, women may provide a distinct "voice" in the politics of city management. A growing body of literature has found there are important differences in the priorities, leadership styles, and policy agendas of women and men public officials. In this article we examine and compare the behavior of men and women city managers. Explorations of gender and city management have been entirely overlooked in the public administration and women and politics literature. In the end, we find that women city managers are more likely than their male counterparts to incorporate citizen input, facilitate communication, and encourage citizen involvement in their decision-making process. This finding emerged when women and men stated their motivations for involvement in city administration, and when they explained how they made decisions. As a result, women may provide a distinct "voice" in the politics of city management.