Understanding Concepts of Female Educational Leadership Through Self-in-Relation Data: A Four-Country Analysis

• In Event: 42.077 - A Globalized Perspective on Women, Girls, and Education

Abstract

Few studies look at the nexus of gender, leadership and culture. The extant literature itself may be biased due to deeply ingrained stereotypes of female gender roles in western society. This study sought to develop a deeper understanding of how women educational leaders conceptualize leadership, with both a western and nonwestern lens, irrespective of traits typically depicted in the literature. Quantitative data are reported for 37 women leaders from four countries. Data suggested there are some leadership characteristics that transcend culture while others do not, consistent with Black feminist theory, typically utilized in the U.S. context. Data are reported on culture, gender, and the interaction of the two as expressed in the conceptions of leadership defined by women leaders themselves.

Authors

• Virginia Roach, Fordham Graduate School of Education

• Gulay Dalgic, The University of Auckland

• Abebayehu Aemero Tekleselassie, The George Washington University