Norma Winter

A Woman in a Man's World: the True Story of a High School Principal Norma Winter

A Woman in a Man's World is the compelling memoir of Norma Winter's professional journey into school administration during a time when gender differences among administrators were obvious and roadblocks to success were copious. In 1977, when Dr. Norma Winter overcame the adversities of her youth and became the only female high school principal in the state of West Virginia, less than three percent of the school administrators in the United States were women. Dr. Winter describes a very personal and inspirational triumph over hardship and includes meaningful contributions to the study of contrasts between the careers of male and female school administrators. She states that female administrators were often better communicators, yet social interactions tended to be easier for male leaders. Men delegated tasks more often; yet women worked harder to motivate staff to cooperate. Dr. Winter eventually left high school administration but continued her career in various leadership capacities. In the end, she reflects that she may have been happiest when she was a woman in a man's world. Today, young women are entering all professions in equal numbers with their male counterparts, partly because of the relentless perseverance and tireless efforts of such pioneering women as Dr. Norma Winter.