LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES FACING FEMALE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS RESEARCH BY: Thembekile Ndlovu SUPERVISOR: Prof. Cecil Gerwel Proches UKZN

MAIN AIM: Examining leadership Challenges female school principals face in leading and managing schools PURPOSE: To gain a deeper and more detailed understanding of the contemporary challenges, improve attitudes towards female principals and create a more positive view of the ability of female principals to lead and manage successful schools, both primary and secondary schools ETHICAL ISSUES: Ethical Clearance, Gate Keepers Letter, Informed consent letter OBJECTIVES: Determine the unique challenges facing female school principals Identify factors that contribute to some of the challenges Determine the strategies to support female school principals and ways of improving the status quo

MOTIVATION OF THE RESEARCH STUDY DEMOCRACY: 24 Years LEGISLATION: South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) Chapter 2: Bill of Rights, Chapter 9 guarantees the equal rights of the people of South Africa, prohibiting discrimination on any grounds, including gender, sex orientation, and more, Chapter 10 specifies the rights to human dignity. South African National Framework for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality – set to realise the fundamentals of the Bill of Rights when it outlined the Vision of Gender Equality within all sectors and institutions.

RESEARCH PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED: OBSERVATIONS: 24 Years into democracy, yet we are still facing leadership challenges and difficulties unique to female principals. Exits from the system. Stress levels /Depression RESEARCH PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED: The research looked at recent findings of previous studies, including whether there has been improvements in challenges faced by female principals in South Africa as well as internationally e.g Recent research by Naidoo and Perumal (2014), says the barriers of sexism; Social ethnic and cultural stereotyping; Glass ceilings and walls still exist in the education sector

PRESENT-DAY ISSUES Pull Her Down Syndrome Group/Political orientation Tradition Abuse of powers Deployment / Window dressing / Fronting Internal factions Threats / Fear / Doubt And more

HISTORY: Females vs Males leadership In attempting to advance to leadership positions, females have to deal not only with the complexities and the challenges of the inherent schools, but does so in a society still entrenched in a patriarchal culture that continuously places constraints on the advancements of females to higher positions of leadership In 2013, the National Minister of Education when launching the Support Network for Female Principals (SNFP), indicated that females constitute the majority of teaching population, but when it comes to leadership positions, females constitute 36%.

Current developments – women in leadership Progress is noticed in advancing women into leadership positions of Principals, Directors, HODs, Ministers, etc but numbers are disproportionally very low. In 2013 SNFP was launched by the Minister to open up opportunities and support for female principals. Create Awareness: To all stakeholders Strategies: Proving that females are capable Change the mind-set: self, colleagues, peers, communities/public and officials Best practices and Success stories: Breaking barriers, shunning the pre-conceived expectations of failure and climbing to greater heights of successful school leaders

RESEARCH APPROACH/METHOD Literature Review A leader and leadership Evolution of leadership theories and styles School Leadership Female School Leadership Challenges and Facing them Collecting Data Qualitative Purposive sampling Semi-structured face-to-face interviews 15 participants Ethical issues

DATA ANALYSIS :THEMATIC Coding Themes and Sub-themes Grouping and patterns Interpreting and Comparison CREDIBILITY VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS THEMES KEY FINDINGS Self-efficacy Leadership Capacity Leadership Challenges Stakeholder Challenges Human Behaviour Challenges Success Stories Key realities Identified causes of challenges Best Practices Possibility of changing attitudes

KEY FINDINGS Objective 1: Unique Challenges include among others, prejudice, exclusion, sexism, gender stereotyping, discrimination in different forms, glass ceiling and walls, lack of support from various structures, non-compliance, bad attitudes and behaviours. Objective 2:Factors contributing include among others, PHD, Group/Political orientation, Tradition, Abuse of powers, Deployment / Window dressing / Fronting, Internal factions, Threats / Fear / Doubt Objective 3: Support needed includes among others, getting actively involved with SNFP, application of equity more than equality in leadership appointments, induction, coaching and mentorship.

RECOMMENDATIONS Proper Induction Coaching and Mentorship Modification of the System of Employing Principals Future Research

LESSONS After 24 years in democracy, with clear legislation that protects the rights of women, we are still trapped and captive to oppression BUT: We do have strong women out there who are resilient, confident and not apologetic of their positions of leadership. They have stopped creating the ‘To do list’ but create the ‘Don’t do list’. They do not succumb to pressure to be perfect principals, to be successful, to compare themselves to men!

They do not play victims, point fingers or look pitiful but they stand up for what they know is right, not forgetting manners, morals and to earn respect. With confidence and not arrogance, Strong women have no time for negativity, drama, chaos or manipulation because they are centred to who they are and where they want to be in their leadership. With Confidence they are assertive and optimistic. ‘Confidence is the sexiest thing a women can wear’ Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: ‘Confidence and Hard Work are the best medicine to kill the disease called failure’ ‘All Birds find shelter during rain, But Eagles avoid rain by flying above the Clouds’. There will be problems because problems are common, but what makes a difference is the attitude

TO ALL FEMALE PRINCIPALS Your happiness does not depend on people, but your inner-self Five (5) lines you must tell YOURSELF every morning: ‘I am the Best!’ ‘I can and I will do it!’ ‘God is my Pillar of strength!’ ‘I am the Winner!’ ‘Today is My Day!’ Keep Your heels, Your head and Your standards very HIGH Talk about your fears, Your challenges, and be a good listener too! Stick-up for other women! Protect them! Support them and Celebrate them!

Maya Angelou says: ‘Each Time A Woman Stands Up for Herself, Without knowing it possibly, Without claiming it, She stands up for all Women’ I Thank You