Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Social Justice Perspective on Women in Educational Leadership

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Cultures of Educational Leadership

Part of the book series: Intercultural Studies in Education ((ISE))

Abstract

Social justice is fundamental to feminism. Feminist theorists place women’s experiences of gender inequalities at the centre of their theorisations about leadership. Feminist critiques of leadership are set in a wider social context. In this chapter, the perspectives of women educational leaders are explored within the wider ‘social justice leadership’ perspective. Internationally, social justice leadership represents a major theme within policy, research and literature with a resurgence of interest into the experiences and perceptions of women in educational leadership. This chapter critically appraises women’s perspectives on educational leadership, by drawing on the experiences of four women head teachers/principals in each of four international contexts, 16 women in total. Case studies, conducted in Scotland, England, Jamaica and New Zealand, provide contrasting, cross-national contexts to compare the influences, possibilities and challenges that women school leaders experience. Each of the country researcher teams was guided by the same interview questions, adopting a common methodological approach for conducting in-depth interviews and the analysis of findings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alimo-Metcalfe, B. (1998) Are there gender and cultural differences in constructs of transformational leadership? Toward the development of a new gender-inclusive model of transformational leadership. Paper presented at the 24th International Conference of Applied Psychology, San Francisco, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arshad, R. (2012). Shaping practice: the impact of personal values and experiences. In R. Arshad, T. Wrigley, & L. Pratt (Eds.), Social justice re-examined: dilemmas and solutions for the classroom teacher (pp. 3–17). London: Trentham.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, B., & Stevenson, H. (2015). International perspectives in urban educational leadership: social justice leadership and high-need schools. In M. Khalifa, N. W. Arnold, A. F. Osanloo, & C. M. Grant (Eds.), Handbook of urban school leadership (pp. 518–531). Landham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Billing, Y. D., & Alvesson, M. (2000). Questioning the notion of feminine leadership: a critical perspective on the gender labeling of leadership. Gender, Work and Organization, 7(3), 144–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J. (1989). Educational leadership: a feminist critique and reconstruction. In J. Smyth (Ed.), Critical perspectives on educational leadership (pp. 93–129). London: Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J. (2002). Troubling women: the upsides and downsides of leadership and the new managerialism. In C. Reynolds (Ed.), Women and school leadership: international perspectives (pp. 49–69). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J. (2009a). Re/positioning women in educational leadership: the changing social relations and politics of gender in Australia. In H. Sobehart (Ed.), Women leading education: across the continents (pp. 73–83). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J. (2009b). International response essay, leadership for social justice: a transnational dialogue. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 4(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J. (2010). Educational organizations and gender in times of uncertainty. In M. W. Apple, S. J. Ball, & L. A. Gandin (Eds.), Routledge international handbook of the sociology of education (pp. 306–317). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogotch, I. (2008). Social justice as an educational construct. In I. Bogotch, F. Beachum, J. Blount, J. Brooks, & F. English (Eds.), Radicalizing educational leadership: dimensions of social justice (pp. 79–112). Rotterdam and Taipei: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogotch, I. (2014). Educational theory: the specific case of social justice as an educational leadership construct. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (Vol. 1, pp. 51–65). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogotch, I., & Shields, C. M. (2014). Introduction: do promises of social justice trump paradigms of educational leadership? In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (Vol. 1, pp. 1–12). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury, L., & Gunter, H. (2006). Dialogic identities: the experiences of women who are headteachers and mothers in English primary schools. School Leadership and Management, 26(5), 489–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooking, K. (2003). Boards of trustees’ selection practices of principals in New Zealand primary schools: will the future be females? [online] Paper presented at BERA Conference, Edinburgh, 11–13 September. http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwiRyPeh07PLAhXh7HIKHXBGBC0QFgggMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.educationalleaders.govt.nz%2Fcontent%2Fdownload%2F1189=2F9079%2Fkeren_brooking.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFk4gd6ejagKblkyiZDYjZiIaQDzw. Accessed 9 March 2016.

  • Coleman, M. (2001). Achievement against the odds: the female secondary headteachers in England and Wales. School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organisation, 21(1), 75–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, M. (2002). Women as headteachers: striking the balance. Oakhill: Trentham Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, M. (2003). Gender and the orthodoxies of leadership. School Leadership and Management, 23(3), 325–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, M. (2005). Gender and headship in the 21st century. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.

    Google Scholar 

  • Court, M. R. (1994). Women transforming leadership. Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey University ERDC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Court, M. (2003). Towards democratic leadership: co-principal initiatives. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 6(2), 161–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curry, B. K. (2000). Women in power: pathways to leadership in education. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J., Hill, L., Tisdall, K., Cairns, L., & McCausland, S. (2014). Social Justice, the Common Weal and Children and Young People in Scotland. Edinburgh: The Jimmy Reid Foundation in association with the Institute of Education, Community and Society and in association with the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships University of Edinburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dukes, C., & Ming, K. (2014). Who among us may be literate? Closing the gap between literacy and diversity. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 1, pp. 117–137). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H., & Johnson, B. T. (1990). Gender and leadership style: a meta-analysis. CHIP Documents. Paper 11 [online]. http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/chip_docs/11. Accessed 9 March 2016.

  • Eagly, A., & Johannesen-Schmidt, C. M. (2001). The leadership styles of women and men. Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 781–797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, K. (2010). Talking about gendered headship: how do women and men working in schools conceive and articulate notions of gender? Journal of Educational Administration and History, 42(4), 363–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, K. (2013). Gender, identity and educational leadership. London: Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gairín, J., & Rodriguez-Gómez, D. (2014). Leadership, educational development, and social development. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 2, pp. 819–843). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, M. (2014). Social justice in education: joy in education and education for joy. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 1, pp. 233–251). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grogan, M., & Shakeshaft, C. (2011). Women and educational leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hajisoteriou, C., & Angelides, P. (2014). Education policy in Cyprus: from decision-making to implementation. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 2, pp. 895–909). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, E. (2014). A grid and group explanation of social justice: an example of why frameworks are helpful in social justice discourse. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social (in)justice (vol. 1, pp. 97–115). London: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff, L. D., & Mitchell, N. (2008). In search of leaders: gender factors in school administrators. Advancing Women in Leadership Journal [online]. http://awljournal.org/awl_wordpress/in-search-of-leaders-gender-factors-in-school-administration/ Accessed 9 March 2016.

  • Insana, L., Mardones, D. J., Welsh, H., & Johnston-Parsons, M. (2014). Narrative dialogue and teacher leadership for social justice: re-storying to understand. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in] justice (vol. 1, pp. 447–464). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A., & Moriarty, D. (2000). Expanding our understanding of student leadership development: a study exploring gender and ethnic identity. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), 55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, A. E. (2014). Re-conceptualising teacher leadership through curriculum inquiry in pursuit of social justice: case study from the Canadian context. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 1, pp. 465–484). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyman, L., Strachan, J., & Lazaridou, A. (2012). Shaping social justice leadership: insights of women educators worldwide. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNae, R. (2010). Young women and leadership: sharing conversations to create meaningful leadership learning opportunities. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(6), 677–688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNae, R. (2014). Educational leadership for social justice: engaging relational pedagogies. In C. Branson & S. Gross (Eds.), Handbook of ethical educational leadership (pp. 93–111). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, O., Howson, J., Gunter, H., & Fryers, A. (2008). No job for a woman the impact of gender in school leadership. Birmingham: NASUWT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mestry, R. (2014). The state’s responsibility to fund basic education in public schools. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 2, pp. 1081–1101). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, P. (Ed.) (2013) School leadership in the Caribbean: perceptions, practices and paradigms. Oxford: Symposium Books Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullen, C. A. (2008). Theories and applications of social justice leadership. Teacher Development: An International Journal of Teachers’ Professional Development, 12(4), 275–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muzaliwa, A. I. I., & Gardiner, M. E. (2014). Narrative inquiry (NI) as an exemplary method for social justice leadership. In I. Bogotch & C. Shields (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and social [in]justice (vol. 1, pp. 183–198). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norberg, K., Arlestig, H., & Angelle, P. S. (2014). Global conversations about social justice: the Swedish-US example. Management in Education, 28(3), 101–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oplatka, I. (2001). ‘I changed my management style’: the cross-gender transition of women headteachers in mid-career. School Leadership and Management, 21(2), 219–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, A., & Pace, J. (2005). Gender differences in headteacher leadership and management styles: a study of a number of headteachers in Maltese secondary schools. Journal of Maltese Education Research, 3(1), 61–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. (Ed.) (2002). Women and school leadership: international perspectives. Albany, NY: State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, J. W., & Sauers, N. J. (2014). Social justice in India: perspectives from school leaders in diverse contexts. Management in Education, 28(3), 106–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, J. (2010). Promoting social justice in schools: principals’ political strategies. International Journal of Leadership in Education: Theory and Practice, 13(4), 357–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmuck, P. A. (1996). Women’s place in educational administration: past, present and future. In K. Leithwood, J. Chapman, D. Corson, P. Hallinger, A. Hart (Eds.), International handbook of educational leadership and administration (pp. 337–368). Boston: Kluwer Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shakeshaft, C. (1987). Women in educational administration. New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shakeshaft, C., Brown, G., Irby, B. J., Grogan, M., & Ballenger, J. (2007). Increasing gender equity in educational leadership. In S. Klein (Ed.), Handbook for achieving gender equity through education (pp. 103–130). Mahwah, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shields, C. M. (2004). Dialogic leadership for social justice: overcoming pathologies of silence. Education Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 109–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, C. M., & Mohan, E. J. (2008). High-quality education for all students: putting social justice at its heart. Teacher Development, 12(4), 289–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slater, C., Potter, I., Torres, N., & Briceno, F. (2014). Understanding social justice leadership: an international exploration of the perspectives of two school leaders in Costa Rica and England. Management in Education, 28(3), 110–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taysum, A., & Gunter, H. (2008). A critical approach to researching social justice and school leadership in England. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 3(2), 183–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torrance, D. (2013). Distributed leadership: challenging five generally held assumptions. School Leadership and Management, 33(4), 354–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, A., & Dimmock, C. (2002). Educational leadership: taking account of complex global and cultural contexts. In A. Walker & C. Dimmock (Eds.), School leadership and administration: adopting a cultural perspective (pp. 33–44). New York: Routledge Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whyte, D. (2001). Crossing the unknown sea: work as a pilgrimage of identity. New York: Riverhead Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoder, J. D. (2001). Making leadership work more effectively for women. Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 815–828.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Deirdre Torrance & Rowena Arshad

  2. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Kay Fuller

  3. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Rachel McNae

  4. University of the West Indies, Kingston, Mona, Jamaica

    Carmel Roofe

Authors
  1. Deirdre Torrance
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kay Fuller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rachel McNae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carmel Roofe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rowena Arshad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deirdre Torrance .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Edu. & Profnl. Development, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

    Paul Miller

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Torrance, D., Fuller, K., McNae, R., Roofe, C., Arshad, R. (2017). A Social Justice Perspective on Women in Educational Leadership. In: Miller, P. (eds) Cultures of Educational Leadership. Intercultural Studies in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58567-7_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58567-7_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58566-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58567-7

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation