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Gender and headship in the 21st century

Barriers to progress for would-be heads, contrasts in leadership style between men and women, and the question of work-life balance are among the topics examined in this short report.

It draws on the findings of a National College-commissioned survey of headteachers to identify some of the major differences between men and women's experience of headship in the 21st century.

Barriers to headship

The report pinpoints several issues that can act as barriers to headship for both women and men. They include overt or subconscious discrimination with boards of governors perceived to prefer a male headteacher; under-representation of women in secondary schools and a resistance to men working in early years; regional differences; and women's greater tendency to lack confidence.

Other topics

Other topics the report covers include:

• Work-life balance - domestic considerations tend to influence women more in their career choices and women are also more likely to change jobs to follow a partner.
• Impact of gender on a head's working life - including sexist attitudes of governors, parents and visitors, and the presumption that female heads are mainly confined to primary schools.
• Differences in leadership styles.

The report also lists some key facts and trends about the gender split and provides eight useful recommendations for school leaders - including governors - and national training programmes on how some of the issues raised by the report might be addressed.