本研究以問卷調查所蒐集得來的現職國小校長生命過程婚育事件及職位晉遷等貫時性（longitudinal）資料為基礎，探討現職校長其擔任校長行政職與過往資歷之中擔任主任行政職的事件，分別是在何種狀態之下發生，是否受到婚育因素或其他照顧工作責任的影響？而「從老師到擔任主任」與「從主任到校長」所花費的時間，又有何性別差異？是否受到父權結構下「女性應該歸屬於私領域」的意識型態與相應而來的照顧工作所影響？個人本身是否有興趣擔任學校行政工作姑且不論，以貫時性資料為基礎，可以發現校長職業生涯發展的性別差異模式。 藉由本研究的探討，希望能進一步瞭解男校長與女校長生涯發展路徑與歷程之同與異，豐富教育行政領導的相關文獻，釐清教育體系之中的性別階層化問題，並進而提出政策的建議與改善之道。

This project explored the career paths of elementary school principals in Taiwan. According to previous research, elementary school teachers’ careers tend to follow ei-ther teaching or administrative pathways. However, the number of women who become higher-level administrators and particularly principals is disproportionately low, given the total number of women employed in elementary schools. The clear implication is that there is a gender gap here. This project thus asked (1) whether there is indeed gen-der discrimination in the practice of promoting teachers to principals in Taiwan’s ele-mentary schools, and (2) what role is played here by factors related to female teachers’ traditional domestic duties, such as marriage, childbearing, and the need to care for family members. Using the survey method and statistical analysis, the project’s find-ings demonstrated a clear gender gap with regard to the “timing” of principals’ earlier career paths: female principals tend to become high-level school administrators much later in life than male principals, and the causes of this phenomenon, in particular the domestic responsibility factor, were also investigated. The researchers hope to in-crease the opportunities for women in educational management. However, further em-pirical research is first needed in order to understand more precisely how the patriar-chal power structure operates in this context. The findings of this project should there-fore be useful as a foundation for further research.