scholarly journals Building Pathways: Nurturing a Female Generation of School Leaders in China

Author(s):  
Lixia Qin ◽  
Mario Torres ◽  
Jean Madsen

International feminist perspectives recognize the continuing inequalities of power between men and women across all classes (Adler & Israeli, 1988; Alston, 2000; De la Rey, 2005). In China’s male-dominant society, for example, women often have been inhibited from pursuing leadership positions (Wiseman, Obiakor & Bakken, 2009). Further, women’s access to leadership positions is constrained within many social sectors (Cooke, 2005). In school settings, there is no doubt that women have greatly contributed to the changing practice of educational management in China since 1980s ( Zhong & Ehrich, 2010). However, despite recent changes, women are still vastly underrepresented in educational leadership positions due to a variety of reasons, such as their adherence to traditional gender roles (Coleman, Qiang & Li, 1998). One particular reason that has been drawing increasing attention across the world is the lack of appropriate training and guidance in young women’s leadership (Su, Adams & Miniberg, 2000; Cooke, 2003; Barnett, 2004; Chen, 2005). This paper probes in greater depth one of the most important, yet largely overlooked aspects in the educational leadership of China – women’s leadership roles in education and young women’s leadership preparation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuting Wang

Based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork in a multi-ethnic immigrant Muslim congregation in a Midwestern city in the United States, this article scrutinizes the intricate process through which women use traditional gender roles and expectations to legitimate and operationalize women’s leadership. This study found that de facto congregationalism has made it possible for Muslim women to translate their ‘traditional’ responsibilities for food preparation and socializing children into greater visibility and voice in both the mosque and broader society. This study provides an in-depth examination of the nuanced processes of women’s empowerment in American Muslim congregations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
A. Octamaya Tenri Awaru ◽  
Muhammad Syukur ◽  
Muhammad Taufik Hidayat ◽  
Supriadi Torro

Over the years men have been dominant as leaders and consider women less suitable and competent for leadership roles due to various reasons. On the contrary women of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are emerging as successful leaders in various segments of society. But with enormous struggle and they are also few in number compared to men. Gender stereotyping is no more a relevant concept as men and women occupy all positions irrespective of their gender. Leadership has been possible for some women while others don’t get the same opportunity men get in leading organizations. Some women struggle and fight their way into leadership positions while others don’t. Women are ignored or set aside based on several reasons one primary being they need to take care of the home. Though all sort of justification is made for women not being in leadership positions it is important to understand the loss the society faces due to minimum women leaders. Despite all of this, women are said to have equal rights with men in terms of leadership. This study examines the factors that help in the formation of women leaders among the students and the social construction of women leaders among the students. This study uses a qualitative method via a structured interview. The informants of this study are selected based on certain criteria with the belief that the informants will provide accurate information related to women’s leadership among students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-222
Author(s):  
Marianna Shvardak

In the article the key terms including “coach”, “coaching”, “coaching technology” used in the area of educational leadership are investigated. The purpose, tasks and types of coaching in the educational management are determined. The coaching algorithm as a technology targeted at unlocking the potential of university faculty and staff is explained. The emphasis is placed on the use of coaching principles that ensure effective leadership. The immense potential that coaching technology provides for the educational leadership is considered. The role of master programs that offer specialized training for future leaders in different educational environments is outlined. In order to stimulate professional education, leader’s ability to make ethical managerial decisions, develop responsibility, confidence in their own capabilities, the ways of implementing coaching technology in higher education are substantiated. The key competencies and masteries that educational leaders have to acquire are outlined. Today’s schools lack experienced leader that can ensure stability and growth. To understand the problems and challenges that schools in Ukraine are facing, principals in two regions of Ukraine have been served regarding their awareness of the term “coaching” and its practical importance for the effective educational management. It is argued that coaching as a strategy to ensure effective leadership is considered to be a powerful resource for any educational setting. The framework of coaching treats each and every employee as a unique, creative personality, able to independently solve a number of tasks, take initiative, make choices, and realize goals.


Author(s):  
Natasha N Johnson

This article focuses on equitable leadership and its intersection with related yet distinct concepts salient to social justice pertinent to women and minorities in educational leadership. This piece is rooted and framed within the context of the United States of America, and the major concepts include identity, equity, and intersectionality—specific to the race-gender dyad—manifested within the realm of educational leadership. The objective is to examine theory and research in this area and to discuss the role they played in this study of the cultures of four Black women, all senior-level leaders within the realm of K-20 education in the United States. This work employed the tenets of hermeneutic phenomenology, focusing on the intersecting factors—race and gender, specifically—that impact these women’s ability and capability to perform within the educational sector. The utilization of in-depth, timed, semi-structured interviews allowed participants to reflect upon their experiences and perceptions as Black women who have navigated and continue to successfully navigate the highest levels of the educational leadership sphere. Contributors’ recounted stories of navigation within spaces in which they are underrepresented revealed the need for more research specific to the intricacies of Black women’s leadership journeys in the context of the United States.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014920632110203
Author(s):  
Ronit Kark ◽  
Alyson Meister ◽  
Kim Peters

Impostorism, a phenomenon whereby a person perceives that the role they occupy is beyond their capabilities and puts them at risk of exposure as a “fake,” has attracted plentiful attention in the empirical literature and popular media. However, despite evidence that impostorism is frequently experienced by people in leadership positions, there has been little consideration of why this happens. In this theoretical article, we explain why formal leadership roles—roles that are characterized by elevated expectations, high visibility, and high levels of responsibility—are fertile ground for impostorism experiences. We also discuss how the associated self-conscious emotions of shame and fear, can increase leaders’ risk-aversion and enhance leader role performance, yet at the same time drive emotional exhaustion, and reduce their motivation to lead. This can ultimately inhibit leaders from seeking, claiming, and thriving in leadership roles. We offer individual-, dyadic-, and organization-level contextual characteristics that can either enhance or reduce this phenomenon. We also discuss how supportive organizations can mitigate leadership impostorism. Furthermore, we highlight how women and minority-status leaders may be more vulnerable to this experience and conclude by suggesting the practical implications of the leader impostorism phenomenon for individuals and organizations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Grandy

Abstract: This article challenges assertions made by business magazine editors that the business press plays no role beyond reporting on women's executive advancement—or lack thereof. The study begins with the latest reported statistics on women's leadership roles in corporate Canada and a summary of the most common explanations for these numbers. The second half of the paper goes on to examine the Canadian print media coverage of Annette Verschuren, a woman who defied the executive odds. It argues that although Verschuren is prominently featured in the business press, gendered stereotyping, which has been identified as a major obstacle to women's promotion, is reinforced in that coverage by both the framing of her story and the language and imagery used to describe her and her accomplishments.Résumé : Cet article met en question les assertions avancées par les rédacteurs de magazines d'affaires selon lesquelles ceux-ci ne font rien de plus que de rapporter objectivement les avancements des femmes en affaires. Cette étude présente d'abord les statistiques les plus récentes sur la faible proportion de femmes d'affaires dans des rôles de direction au Canada ainsi qu'un condensé des explications les plus communes pour ces résultats. La seconde moitié de l'article examine la couverture dans la presse écrite canadienne d'Annette Verschuren, une femme qui a surmonté maints défis pour réussir dans le monde des affaires. L'article soutient que Verschuren, bien qu'elle figure souvent dans la presse d'affaires, fait l'objet de stéréotypes sexospécifiques, identifiés comme un obstacle important pour l'avancement des femmes. Ces stéréotypes sont évidents dans le cadrage de son histoire ainsi que dans le langage et les images employés pour décrire sa personne et ses accomplissements.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Evans

In the UK the title ‘professor’ is generally applied only to the most senior academics – equivalent to North American full professors – and whom anecdotal evidence indicates to be often unprepared for the increasingly expansive academic leadership roles that they are expected to fulfil. The study reported in this paper was directed at exploring the reliability of such evidence, and the ways in which professors develop or prepare themselves, or are developed or prepared by others, for what are generally considered their professorial academic leadership roles. Data were gathered by questionnaires and interviews, revealing that excessive professorial workloads often result from confusion about what constitutes academic leadership and precisely what and how much is expected of professors. Yet despite an evident dearth of ‘official’, designated, academic leadership preparation and/or development provision, professors were resourceful in drawing upon their experience, networks and intellectual capacity to develop ways of becoming and being effective members of the professoriate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Shadiya Mohamad Saleh Baqutayan ◽  
Fauziah Raji

This qualitative study is purposive in sampling and explored a small number of women leaders in the education industry who are policymakers of Malay Muslim origin of their experiences in leadership positions. Policymaking here involved policies at the micro-level, which related more to their institutions and organizations. The researcher examined the women's leadership styles and the factors that influenced how they lead explicitly. Likewise, the researcher focused on how gender, culture, and religion may relate to women's experiences. Basic interpretive and descriptive qualitative research methods were employed. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews. Participants interviewed included nine women leaders in the public and private sector who were either teachers/lecturers or administrators in the education industry. These women held positions within the top echelon of their organization or institution. The finding of this research indicated that gender, religion, and culture play an important role in women's leadership experiences, therefore, themes emerged around influences on the women's approaches to leadership, with particular emphasis on the role of the larger environment in impacting women's leadership behaviors. To further focus on the impact of culture and religion on women's leadership styles, the researcher conducted a focused discussion group on the second group of Malay Muslim women leaders. This group of women leaders compromised mainly of women leaders who are department and section heads but still involved in policymaking decisions albeit within their department or sections. This study can provide insight into the landscape of women‘s leadership roles and how to support these leaders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Arday

The dearth of representation regarding Black and Ethnic Minorities (BME) in senior educational leadership roles within higher education (HE) has become a salient issue as egalitarian notions associated with equality and diversity continue to be contradicted by university institutions, despite increased calls for greater diversification. Educational leadership in higher education within the United Kingdom (UK), particularly when aligned to the primacy of race, remains oblivious to some of the organizational barriers encountered by BME academics attempting to navigate a career trajectory towards senior leadership. The diversification of senior leaders within the Academy in the UK has increasingly become an issue that, although prevalent, has stagnated owing to the lack of visible BME senior leaders and penetrative change to address the disparity regarding recruitment and promotion of more BME academics to leadership hierarchies. This article draws on a collective biography methodology, which will utilize narratives from three BME academics in senior leadership positions within higher education in the UK, in an attempt to illuminate the challenges that saturate the Academy, concerning leadership opportunities and career pathways for BME academics. The issues drawn upon identify synergies between constructions of race and leadership, whilst considering the interplay between these two vehicles when situated within a higher education context.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christa Boske

This narrative inquiry seeks to advance the field of educational leadership preparation by exploring ways to interrupt personal, interpersonal, and institutional racism through the senses-ways in which people perceive their experiences and relation to others. Findings suggest that participants engage in actions aligned with revelations from their reflective process and utilize their positions as a lever to address racism at various levels within educational systems. Participants utilized their transformed storied selves to challenge the disparate impact of power and privilege on educational and social equity within school communities.


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