Beryl Gilroy (1924-2001) is often referred to as one of the first Black primary school headteachers in London, England. Her refusal to continue teaching in schools once she reached her fifties has not been explored in recent publications. Her interest in sound, pedagogy and therapeutic recovery can be revisited retrospectively. She strove to…

The study draws on mixed methods research with further education middle managers across England in order to explore whether there are gendered differences in management. There remain debates about whether there are gender differences in management or leadership. The study adds to this debate with results that reveal that women and men are…

Academic identity is fluid, slippery, and uncertain, academic developer identity even more so. This paper explores the author's use of photography as a medium through which to present, represent, and interpret her own practice and professional identity as a third space professional within higher education. Drawing on existing literature on…

In spite of a number of drivers for change in the pursuit of gender equality in higher education in the UK and beyond, the gender gap in research activity is still widely recognised across most subject disciplines. Over recent years, mentoring strategies have often been seen as the Alexandrian sword capable of cutting the gender deficit 'Gordian…

This article draws on the findings of an in-depth study which sought to explore the career histories and professional aspirations of 12 women deputy head teachers in England. In view of the ongoing underrepresentation of women in secondary headship and the scarcity of literature focusing solely on deputy heads, the study aimed to gain an insight…

This paper offers an autoethnographic account of using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a doctoral researcher to explore the career experiences of women deputy headteachers. IPA is a qualitative methodology which lends itself to a detailed exploration of the ways in which individuals make sense of their lived experiences. Despite…

The body of research on the career prospects of Black and minority ethnic (BME) teachers cites racism as one of the reasons for BME underrepresentation in positions of school leadership in England. Understanding the nature of such discriminatory practices is needed in order to find solutions. It has also been reported that pioneer BME leaders are…

Using intersectionality theory, the article presents constructions of successful leadership by three Black women school principals in three different contexts: England, South Africa and the United States. The article is premised on the overall shortage of literature on Black women in educational leadership, which leaves Black women's experiences…

In September 2018, the National Literacy Trust launched its Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme, in partnership with Lancôme and their global Write Her Future literacy initiative, to challenge inequalities in employment opportunities for young women from disadvantaged communities. Words for Work: Women in Leadership gives girls and young…

The underrepresentation of women in secondary school headship in England and elsewhere is an early and longstanding theme in the women and gender in educational leadership literature. The purpose of this article is to report findings from a statistical survey of secondary school head teachers across England. Data available in the public domain on…

Men continue to outnumber women at the secondary head teacher level. This article reports on some of the preliminary findings of a larger study exploring the ways in which women deputy head teachers, as potential aspirants to headship, perceive the secondary head teacher role. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology,…

This paper presents findings from a study examining the career development experiences of female head-teachers in the south of England. Adapting a three-stage career model, the study examined different stages of the women's lives and careers in order to understand what encouraged and influenced them to become educational leaders and how their…

In England, despite making up 60% of the secondary school teaching workforce, women continue to be underrepresented in secondary school headship. In this paper, we focus on the experiences of women working in the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) as a site for headship preparation. This paper draws on survey findings from a study of women's and men's…

Purpose: This feminist standpoint study aims to make an empirical contribution to the entrepreneurial leadership and HRD fields. Women entrepreneur leaders' experiences of gender will be explored through a framework of doing gender well and doing gender differently to unsettle the gender binary. Design/methodology/approach: Against a backcloth of…

Purpose: This paper aims to consider what all-women networks have, and might offer, in terms of support and development of women in educational leadership. Design/methodology/approach: The study draws on two case studies of such networks in education in England, the first, a regional network for women secondary school principals, and the other…