Care Worker or Leader? Egalitarianism for Women School Administrators

• In Event: Female Leadership Roles: Examining Identity and Positionality

Abstract

In an effort to advance women school leaders, this qualitative study took an alternative view on this highly researched topic by examining the issue from a gender performance perspective. The findings suggested that women school leaders fluctuate between gender roles dependent on their context, with alternative performances occurring professionally and traditional acts being performed domestically. Thus a gender performance transformation was evidenced exclusively in the professional arena. The result of frequent role conversions was exhibited in the oppositional thinking of participants as well as incongruence between their words and actions. Participants had an awareness of the constraints of gender and noted its negative professional impact.

Authors

• Kimberly Clark, Pinelands Regional School District

• Ane Turner Johnson, Rowan University