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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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%.

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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.

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

13. 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!

14. 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

15. 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!

16. 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