South African Principalship, Agency Intersectionality Theory (original) (raw)

The Experiences of Female Principals in the Gauteng Province

American Journal of Educational Research, 2015

Gender bias towards South African female principals remains a problem and compelling issue. The South African Constitution addresses gender equality, yet women still do not experience equal rights in practice. Using a theory of intersectionality, this study highlights the experiences of three Coloured South African female principals and how they negotiated various challenges and obstacles that they were faced with in their day-to-day running of their schools. Using openended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, it was found that the principals' strong upbringing and family support, and sound educational background paved the way for them to become effective leaders despite numerous challenges. The results provide a significant contribution to the small body of literature employing intersectionality theory as well as the literature around female principals' experiences in South Africa. Sub-intersectional themes emerged providing a deeper understanding of their experiences, challenges and successes. These contextual themes examine the impact of social networks that include family and friends as well as professionally and types of discrimination and stereotyping on their experiences as principals.

When Identity and Leadership Intersect: The Experiences of Six Female Principals in South Africa

Africa Education Review, 2018

While literature on the interplay between educational leadership and context abounds, the attention granted to the experiences of female principals has, to a large extent, treated the construction of women as a homogeneous entity. Consequently, very little, certainly within the South African context, is known about how women in leadership positions construct and enact their leadership identities. Drawing on the experiences of six female principals at public schools, this article investigates the extent to which conceptions of gender give shape to the formation of leadership identity. To this end, the focus of the article is to explore the complex intersections of constructions of identity in relation to female principals; and how these constructions hold particular implications for conceptions of gendered leadership in South African schools.

Male and Female Perspectives on Female Principals in South Africa

2013

In South Africa, women are at a high risk of discrimination and opposition to authority when they obtain leadership positions, especially in education (Gouws & Kotze, 2007). The purpose of this study was to inquire into 10 secondary school educators' perceptions of female principals' effectiveness in two South African schools. Qualitative case study research methodology included interviews, as well as participant observations and semistructured interviews. These interviews were conducted within two school settings in South Africa. The participants were teachers, department heads, and deputy principals. When the data were analyzed, it was found that all participants wanted a leader who was transformational and there was a strong preference for those who had feminine traits. This research showed the strong desire for transformational leaders as well as how feminine characteristics are not only starting to become more accepted, but also are now becoming preferred.

Women principals in South Africa: gender, mothering and leadership

British Educational Research Journal, 2013

This paper draws on qualitative data from a mixed-method study that analysed women's access to the principal role and their leadership experiences. The paper draws on a subset of interviews with 54 female head teachers in the Gauteng and North West provinces of South Africa. Since a mothering style of leadership was self-reported by over half of the participants in our study, this paper aims to explore the diverse ways in which motherhood was constructed and the outcomes of these constructions on women.

Creating linkages between private and public: Challenges facing woman principals in South Africa

South African Journal of Education, 2007

In trying to understand some of the gendered discourses that shape the management of schools as organisations in South Africa, I analyse woman principals' experiences as they try to navigate a balance between their home and work responsibilities. After the ir appointment as principals, some South African women face difficulties in striking the balance between work and family. Av ailab le literature suggests that balancing private and public life for working women with fam ilies can b e tax ing, espe cially for married women. Reasons for this include the cultural expectation, which suggests that women, regardless of whether they are in employment or not, or whether they employ a domestic helper or not, should still perform family chores in the home. The traditional stereotypes also associate school principalship with masculinity, a view that ham pers women's career progression in education man agem en t. I identify some of the gendered social practices that disadvantage women and suggest that these need to be challenged in order to achieve gender equity in education man agem en t. I further suggest an urgent need for research informed by fem inist theories and examine gender inequity issues in schools in South Africa within the current political, social, and cu ltural frameworks.

Leadership challenges facing female school principals in the Durban ink area

Gender and behaviour, 2017

The aim of this study was to examine the leadership challenges that female school principals face and the strategies they use to deal with these challenges in terms of leading schools in the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) area of Durban, South Africa. The literature was consulted to provide a deeper level of understanding of leadership in relation to schools. A qualitative research approach was employed and purposive sampling was used. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 15 female school principals in the Durban INK area and these were analysed thematically. The findings indicated that female principals in the Durban INK area face challenges related to human resource management within and outside the school, financial matters, and curriculum management. The results highlighted the critical need for various stakeholders to support female principals, as well as those females who aspire to be principals. Keywords: female principals; schools; ch...

School leaders’ gender strategies Caught in a discriminatory web

Educational Management Administration Leadership, 2015

This article analyses interview data from 54 women school principals in South Africa to explore how women position their identities in relation to their gender, ethnicity and other characteristics. While grounded in their own context, the women's strategies resonate with those of women in many parts of the world. Five strategies are discerned: transforming the value of low-status identities, asserting a valued identity, negating stigmatised characteristics, denying disadvantage, and accepting women's inferiority. It is suggested that each may bring benefit to the individual but may also further embed disadvantage: that women are caught in a web of discrimination. It is argued that we do not sufficiently understand the complexity and balance of positive and negative effects of individual positioning on principals' lives and on wider structural change. The impact of action may not be captured by simplistic cause and effect analysis but appears to be both embedding sexism further and leveraging limited gains.

Musadzi u fara lufhanga nga hu fhiraho' : life stories of Black women leaders in South Africa

2004

This article, based on a Black feminist perspective, examines the multifaceted personal and professional lives of Black women elementary school principals in South Africa at the intersection of institutional and political, cultural and language, economic and social/historical sites as they work to actualise socially just and equitable learning environments for Black children and youth. The thrust of this work is to show how particular life experiences (profoundly affected by race, class, gender and language) affect individuals in their professional lives and in their political commitment to social justice. The argument raised in this work is that despite (or because of) the difficulties in gaining an education and positions of school leadership, the three women in this article have developed a strong sense of commitment to social justice which is demonstrated by their caring as educational leaders whilst at the same time struggles with efficiency, responsibility and dealing with the...

Leadership enhancement amongst female principals of secondary schools in Vhembe District of South Africa

2021

Almost three decades into democracy, a gender imbalance continues to exist in most settings in South Africa. Although the country’s Constitution makes a firm stand against gender inequality, women still occupy the most disadvantaged positions in comparison to their male counterparts. The educational sector is not immune to this because most females are concentrated in the middle and lower-level positions in the sector. The few who manage to break this barrier by making it into leadership positions are faced with a lack of support and uncooperative attitudes from colleagues and community members, which affects their ability to perform their duties effectively, manage their schools and advance their careers. Although issues relating to the leadership experiences of female principals have been widely researched in South Africa, a detailed account in particular communities is still missing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop interventions that are tailored to the specific needs of a ...