Roll Call: Gender and the Alaska Municipal Clerk

Abstract

Attendance at an Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks conference makes the gender disparity of the profession readily apparent. What caused this disparity, and what is its impact? A statewide municipal officials directory indicates approximately 90 percent of clerks in Alaska are female. That informal tally reflects the lack of public information available on this topic. Cases and interviews focused on the Kenai Peninsula and Southeast Alaska reveal barriers that impact clerks’ opportunities to earn promotions and fair pay, especially in small municipalities that place a clerk in the interim municipal manager role in response to vacancies. The historical bias of clerking as “women’s work” contributes to inadequate pay structures that undercompensate clerks serving as interim managers. These clerks face indefinite, repeat terms of interim service with little leverage against abuse. Clerks in an interim role or seeking a permanent promotion also might have non-traditional educational backgrounds that conflict with the value of their work experience. More broadly, clerks and other staff members contemplate impacts to family life and organizational attitudes about internal promotion when considering interim and permanent openings. This paper concludes with recommendations for improving the gender balance and fair treatment of Alaska municipal clerks.