the downside if we only focus on those values, neglecting the others. The infinity loop emphasizes the systems nature of interconnectedness. An ongoing tension exists between each side, requiring conscious thought and management to stay on the upside of both.
THINK ABOUT IT
This is Jane’s favorite quote regarding the advice women often receive to act more like men in order to gain leadership access. What parallels does it have to education?
The thrust of The Confidence Gap’s [Kay & Shipman, 2014] self-help prescription was “Be more like guys who may not know what the hell they’re doing but just act like they do.” This directive bypassed over a crucial complicating factor: almost every problem in current American economics was caused by arrogant, overconfident attitudes like those the authors were encouraging. (Zeisler, 2016, p. 210)
Consider for a moment what you gain from the archetypal masculine and feminine ways of leading and what you lose when you set one aside.
Figure 1.1: Infinity loop diagram representing masculine and feminine leadership styles.
In summary, to help get that new vision of school leadership that this third reason for more women leaders requires, education policies and practices need to shift to a better balance of values, not substitute feminine for masculine styles. This way, students benefit from the values and best ideas of both.
Girls’ Visions of Themselves as Future Leaders
The fourth reason that women need to step in and step up to school leadership is to inspire the next generation of women to lead. Prophetically, consider how today’s boys and girls might begin to envision leadership if women begin to swell the ranks at all levels of educational leadership. Gender inequities exist in all areas of life across all countries. So what does this mean for the next generation of school leaders?
Plan International (2017) has investigated girls’ experiences of inequality, their ambitions to lead, and their views on gender stereotypes as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood. Its 2017 report The Dream Gap: Australian Girls’ Views on Gender Equality highlights that the lack of visibility of girls’ experiences lies at the heart of the agonizingly slow change toward gender parity (Plan International, 2017). This organization works around the world to make girls truly visible, acknowledge girls’ power and potential, and not turn away when people exploit, discriminate against, and silence them.
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head in 2012 when she dared to suggest that girls go to school. We find it more than ironic that we are focusing on women in school leadership while, globally, girls’ and women’s lack of access to education not only forms a key barrier to creating self-actualized, contributing human beings, but also perpetuates a cycle of poverty and subjugation. Economic prosperity, education, and gender equality are intrinsically linked.
There’s a moment when you have to decide whether to be silent or stand up.
—Malala Yousafzai,
Pakistani activist and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate
According to Gayle Smith (as cited in Suliman, 2017), president of the ONE Campaign, “Over 130 million girls are still out of school—that’s over 130 million potential engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers and politicians whose leadership the world is missing out on…. Girls are least likely to be in school in South Sudan, with nearly three-quarters of school-age girls out of the classroom.” Without an education, young women are “locked away from a better future” (Suliman, 2017).
Education can help society transform toward gender equity (Unterhalter, 2007). Educators play a key role in nurturing students’ self-worth as they explore their identities; they can enhance students’ well-being and foster equity both within and beyond the classroom. The messaging that students receive from educators at a very young age can help debunk outdated and constricting gender stereotypes and create a more inclusive future in which gender is not limiting. If girls and boys see more women in leadership positions, they will begin to see it as the norm.
THINK ABOUT IT
An important part of this process is recognizing and challenging your own gender biases. Search YouTube (www.youtube.com) for the short video Always #LikeAGirl (Always, 2014). Watch it with at least one other woman. What feelings surface as you watch it? What actions might you take to change what the film depicts? What gender biases of your own does the video help you recognize? What actions might you take to challenge these biases and change the stereotypes the film depicts?
The Need for More Leaders, Especially Women Leaders
The work of the contemporary school principal continues to intensify, and the role’s demands and complexity continue to increase. Many OECD countries, though, face principal shortages due to the imminent retirement of a large proportion of principals and other school leaders from the baby boomer generation, and statistics revealing a reluctance to apply for principal positions. These are important challenges to address. As a result, education systems and schools must prioritize developing high-quality, aspiring leaders and attracting the best possible candidates for school leadership positions. In a female-dominated workforce, identifying and developing the next generation of school leaders also requires encouraging talented women to take on these roles. Commentary and statistics reveal that some experienced teachers are reluctant to apply for principal positions (McKenzie et al., 2014).
The whole goal of feminism is to become redundant. My dream is for a world where I won’t have to call myself a feminist because there will be gender justice.
—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
Nigerian author
According to University of Tasmania professor emeritus Bill Mulford (2008), education has entered the golden age of school leadership—a period in which interest and research in the practice of school leadership is higher than ever before. We know that principals can have a profound impact on a school, and that leadership “is second only to teaching among school-related factors in its impact on student learning” (Leithwood et al., 2004, p. 3). More than ever before, schools need to improve how they address the readiness gap, support current school leaders, and make the leadership role an attractive option for educators. Therefore, ensuring that more and more women seek leadership is crucial.
Next Steps in the Journey
Are you ready to aspire to leadership? You have a myriad of exciting opportunities to create meaningful change—to embrace power to! To ensure you stay inspired in spite of inevitable difficulties along the way, in the next chapter, we’ll explore the still-existent gender barriers and what to do about them.
Step in for Further Reflection
The following activities provide you with valuable opportunities to reflect on the ideas, strategies, and concepts covered in this chapter. If you are approaching Step In, Step Up as a twelve-week journey, you can spread these out over several days.
You
