This article presents a comparative analysis of the professional identity formation of three female principals of schools serving disadvantaged population in Spain. The focus on identity formation is complemented with parallel attention on gender and leader's emotionality issues. The study embraces a qualitative-interpretive stance with a…

The paper focuses on the South African Higher Education environment, engaging with men in leadership and their views on areas that have been identified as challenging in women's lived experiences and the advancement of women towards leadership. Men still dominate positions of leadership and as such, hold positional power and influence in…

This article utilises the model of authentic leadership by Bill George et al. to explore the extent to which gender influences teacher leader authenticity in the school workplace. Four male and four female Secondary Heads of School were asked to complete George et al.'s authentic leadership self-assessment tool and provide a written commentary…

This study describes the life story of two female principals who carry out their work in particularly challenging schools in the Spanish educational context. This work is part of two larger international (ISSPP) and national research projects that aim to study the professional identity of school leaders. In this case, our objective was to analyse…

This paper focuses on the experiences of six Chilean female headteachers. It addresses their career progress, and the facilitators and barriers, as well as the challenges they encountered in accessing and enacting school leadership. The six participants were drawn from all three of Chile's school types -- public, semi-private and private -- in…

Discrepancies in the number of females occupying superintendent positions in the United States continue to exist; therefore, this study utilized a survey design to examine the perceived barriers to achieving the top positions in education as well as differences by gender among aspiring superintendents in K-12 in Illinois. Statistical analyses…

This article explores the experiences of both male and female principals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as they navigate principalship through a gendered lens. Interviews with these principals reveal the presence and impact of hegemonic masculinities on the ability of both male and female principals to lead their schools. These conversations…

This paper employs the feminist educational leadership perspective to analyse the ecological context and its influence on the leadership experiences of school head teachers within a patriarchal cultural setting. Methodology: This paper forms part of a mixed methods study that included a quantitative random survey during the first research phase to…

Gender equity and women's access to senior leadership and management positions in universities are a major challenge not only in South Africa but on the African continent, too. For women to take up senior leadership roles more potently, it is essential that they not only cope with and compete in patriarchal systems but more so, are equipped to…

Women have long been under-represented in organization leader roles within higher education. Research has identified, mapped and examined the data, with recommendations for change. The research reported in this article adds to current knowledge, and raises methodological questions by focusing on senior female leaders in higher education in…

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…

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…

This article focuses on the ever-present pressures, tensions and opportunities for women leaders in education, and the link between identity, pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of a complete, worthwhile life. It highlights the experience of three women in educational leadership who are undertaking Doctoral studies while balancing the needs of…

Recent educational literature has produced a plethora of gendered experiences encountered by women working towards leadership positions in education. Gender plays a complex role that shapes the relationship between perceived ideals of womanhood and leadership. This paper focuses on the variations in leadership and management distributed in the…

A significant gender imbalance remains at executive management level within higher education despite a number of initiatives to increase the number of women in the leadership pipeline and ensure they are better prepared for these roles. This article presents findings from a recent study on the appointment of deputy and pro vice-chancellors in…