The results of a longitudinal study of women pursuing administrative careers provides a fuller understanding of the motivations of women and assists aspiring women in making informed career choices. The book has five sections. The first covers career stages common to most aspirants, but from a female perspective. In the second section, women reflect on marriage and family, as well as on current administrators. Because women have special problems working in an all-male profession, the third part describes their concerns about discrimination in the workplace. The fourth part presents the goals and expectations expressed by the respondents at the beginning of the study (1979-80), followed by information from the career update (1984-85) on their levels of advancement and their advice to other aspirants. In the afterword, the study and the profession of educational administration as they relate to female educators are examined. (SI)