Challenges of Being a Female Principal in Schools and Ways of Coping

Ayça İnce; Emine Önder; Hatice Petek

Article Details

Challenges of Being a Female Principal in Schools and Ways of Coping

Authors:

Ayça İnce | Emine Önder | Hatice Petek

Publisher:

Dokuz Eylul University

Main Topics:

Eğitim Yönetimi

Journal:

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 64, pp.1882-1908

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353432

pISSN:

2602-2850

Keywords:

Abstract:

 The presence of women in business life, especially in managerial positions, has always been very low compared to men, and women in managerial positions have been forced to deal with different problems in working life throughout history. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges faced by female school principals due to their gender, the reasons for these challenges and their coping strategies. The research is a qualitative study involving school principals, assistant principals, teachers and branch managers in Isparta and Burdur in the 2023-2024 academic year. The case study design was used in the study and the experiences of female school principals were tried to be understood in depth. In total, seven female school principals, six assistant principals, eight teachers and six branch managers were included in the study group. The data collection process was carried out through a semi-structured interview form and codes, sub-themes and themes were created using content analysis method. The results of the study revealed that female school principals often face challenges due to their gender, such as not being taken seriously, being underestimated, not being supported and being ignored during managerial decisions. It was found that female school principals faced these challenges mostly due to the perception that women cannot be principals and poor emotion management. Among the strategies to cope with these challenges, methods such as taking an upright stance, effective communication and collaboration stand out. Female school administrators also overcome the challenges by receiving support from their colleagues and superiors and trying to improve themselves. As a result, the challenges faced by female school administrators, the reasons for these challenges, and the ways in which female administrators cope with these challenges were found to be consistent. Therefore, it is thought that when improvements are made or solutions are produced for the causes of the difficulties faced by women school administrators, at least they will not face some of the difficulties encountered and women administrators can contribute to coping with these difficulties.

 The presence of women in business life, especially in managerial positions, has always been very low compared to men, and women in managerial positions have been forced to deal with different problems in working life throughout history. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges faced by female school principals due to their gender, the reasons for these challenges and their coping strategies. The research is a qualitative study involving school principals, assistant principals, teachers and branch managers in Isparta and Burdur in the 2023-2024 academic year. The case study design was used in the study and the experiences of female school principals were tried to be understood in depth. In total, seven female school principals, six assistant principals, eight teachers and six branch managers were included in the study group. The data collection process was carried out through a semi-structured interview form and codes, sub-themes and themes were created using content analysis method. The results of the study revealed that female school principals often face challenges due to their gender, such as not being taken seriously, being underestimated, not being supported and being ignored during managerial decisions. It was found that female school principals faced these challenges mostly due to the perception that women cannot be principals and poor emotion management. Among the strategies to cope with these challenges, methods such as taking an upright stance, effective communication and collaboration stand out. Female school administrators also overcome the challenges by receiving support from their colleagues and superiors and trying to improve themselves. As a result, the challenges faced by female school administrators, the reasons for these challenges, and the ways in which female administrators cope with these challenges were found to be consistent. Therefore, it is thought that when improvements are made or solutions are produced for the causes of the difficulties faced by women school administrators, at least they will not face some of the difficulties encountered and women administrators can contribute to coping with these difficulties.

 The presence of women in business life, especially in managerial positions, has always been very low compared to men, and women in managerial positions have been forced to deal with different problems in working life throughout history. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges faced by female school principals due to their gender, the reasons for these challenges and their coping strategies. The research is a qualitative study involving school principals, assistant principals, teachers and branch managers in Isparta and Burdur in the 2023-2024 academic year. The case study design was used in the study and the experiences of female school principals were tried to be understood in depth. In total, seven female school principals, six assistant principals, eight teachers and six branch managers were included in the study group. The data collection process was carried out through a semi-structured interview form and codes, sub-themes and themes were created using content analysis method. The results of the study revealed that female school principals often face challenges due to their gender, such as not being taken seriously, being underestimated, not being supported and being ignored during managerial decisions. It was found that female school principals faced these challenges mostly due to the perception that women cannot be principals and poor emotion management. Among the strategies to cope with these challenges, methods such as taking an upright stance, effective communication and collaboration stand out. Female school administrators also overcome the challenges by receiving support from their colleagues and superiors and trying to improve themselves. As a result, the challenges faced by female school administrators, the reasons for these challenges, and the ways in which female administrators cope with these challenges were found to be consistent. Therefore, it is thought that when improvements are made or solutions are produced for the causes of the difficulties faced by women school administrators, at least they will not face some of the difficulties encountered and women administrators can contribute to coping with these difficulties.

 Kadınların yöneticilik pozisyonundaki mevcudiyeti erkeklere göre hep çok az olmuştur ve yönetici pozisyonundaki kadınlar tarih boyunca çalışma hayatında farklı farklı sorunlarla baş etmek zorunda bırakılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, kadın okul müdürlerinin cinsiyetlerinden kaynaklı karşılaştıkları zorlukları, bu zorlukların sebeplerini ve bu zorluklarla başa çıkma stratejilerini incelemektir. Araştırma, 2023-2024 eğitim-öğretim yılında Isparta ve Burdurdaki okul müdürleri, müdür yardımcıları, öğretmenler ve şube müdürlerini kapsayan nitel bir çalışmadır. Araştırmada durum çalışması deseni kullanılmıştır. Çalışma grubunda toplamda yedi kadın okul müdürü, altı müdür yardımcısı, sekiz öğretmen ve altı şube müdürü yer almıştır. Veri toplama süreci, yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilmiş ve içerik analizi yöntemi kullanılarak kod, alt tema ve temalar oluşturulmuştur. Araştırmanın sonuçlarından, kadın okul müdürlerinin cinsiyetlerinden kaynaklı olarak genellikle ciddiye alınmamak, küçümsenmek, destek görmemek ve yönetsel kararlar sırasında göz ardı edilmek gibi zorluklarla yüzleştikleri anlaşılmıştır. Kadın okul yöneticilerinin bu zorluklar ile daha çok kadından yönetici olmaz algısı ve zayıf duygu yönetimi sebebiyle karşı karşıya kaldığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu zorluklarla başa çıkma stratejileri arasında ise dik duruş sergileme, etkili iletişim ve iş birliği kurma gibi yöntemler öne çıkmaktadır. Kadın okul yöneticileri ayrıca, meslektaşları ve üstlerinden destek alarak ve kendilerini geliştirmeye çalışarak zorlukların üstesinden gelmektedirler. Sonuç olarak araştırmada kadın yöneticilerin karşılaştıkları zorluklar, bu zorlukların nedenleri ve kadın yöneticilerin bu zorluklar ile baş etme yollarının tutarlı olduğu görülmüştür.

Article Details

Challenges of Being a Female Principal in Schools and Ways of Coping

Authors:

Ayça İnce | Emine Önder | Hatice Petek

Publisher:

Dokuz Eylul University

Main Topics:

Eğitim Yönetimi

Journal:

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 64, pp.1882-1908

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353432

pISSN:

2602-2850

women principals

school

gender roleskadın yönetici

okul

toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri

Issues

Article Details

Challenges of Being a Female Principal in Schools and Ways of Coping

Authors: Ayça İnce | Emine Önder | Hatice Petek

Publisher: Dokuz Eylul University

Main Topics: Eğitim Yönetimi

Journal: Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 64, pp.1882-1908

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001353432

pISSN: 2602-2850

women principals

school

gender roleskadın yönetici

okul

toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri

Issues

Authors:

Ayça İnce | Emine Önder | Hatice Petek

Publisher:

Dokuz Eylul University

Main Topics:

Eğitim Yönetimi

Journal:

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 64, pp.1882-1908

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353432

pISSN:

2602-2850