Music education is a predominantly female occupation; however while women dominate the ranks of elementary and choral education they lose representation as grade level increases. In addition sex-role segregation within the field is also evidenced by the domination of males in the areas of instrumental and jazz music education. As with other areas of post-secondary education, females have made gains and now occupy 43% of music faculty positions, however it may be that the males and females have gender specific sex-roles. Due to the specific, gendered nature of voice parts, it may be that applied voice teacher training programs would have an equal distribution of females (sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, contraltos) and males (counter-tenors, tenors, baritone, basses). The distribution of the sexes within the career field may affect hiring practices, promotions, and access to administrative positions thereby mitigating sex inequalities and sex-role biases which exist in other areas of post-secondary education. This study was an initial step investigating biological sex and authority as they relate to applied voice teachers in four-year institutions in the United States.

Voice-teaching was found to be a predominantly female occupation with men and women holding a near equal number of full-time professor status positions. Upon closer examination, sex-role stratification within the field may be evidenced. For example, the proportion of males increased as faculty rank increased while the proportion of females decreased as faculty rank increased. There also seemed to be sex-role stratification with regard to specific teaching responsibilities held by males and females. The reasons for these differences are explored.