<p> This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to determine the reasons why women leave the superintendency. This study not only illustrated the different ways a woman can leave the position of superintendent but also the reasons she would choose to leave. These reasons can be either positive or negative, but they rarely are the sole cause for why a woman leaves the position. </p><p> This interview study of 20 female participants who served as superintendent in the Commonwealth of Virginia identified four main themes as to why a woman chose to leave the superintendency. These included: (a) it wasn't the job I thought it would be; (b) the struggles with family; (c) taking care of herself; and (d) I'm not the right fit for the community. The study also identified the routes women take to leave the superintendency which include retirement, leaving for another superintendency, movement into another position within PK-12, opportunity in higher education, working as an educational consultant, or moving into a position outside of education.</p>

<p> A number of studies have emerged over the past several decades attempting to pinpoint potential factors for occupational inequity and inequality for prospective and current female educational leaders. Although women are increasingly obtaining leadership positions in the field, one position remains elusive to the aspiring female educational leader: the superintendency (Bilken &amp; Brannigan, 1980; Brunner &amp; Bj&ouml;rk, 2001; Brunner &amp; Grogan, 2007; Dana &amp; Bourisaw, 2006; Mertz, 2006; Shakeshaft, 1987). Overcoming societal perceptions, handling hardships associated with attaining and maintaining one's position, and building powerful, meaningful relationships are some of the foci of previous research; however, there seems to be a piece missing from the current available literature. While one may evaluate the struggles females have faced in attaining district-level superintendent positions, research detailing the female's journey to the <i>state</i> superintendency remains incredibly limited to nonexistent. Through a postmodern-feminist lens, this qualitative study employs Harter and Monsour's (1992) Self-in-Relationship (SIR) interview protocol, in addition to open-ended interview questions, to explore a conceptual framework blending perceptions, reality, and relationships that potentially impact females on the journey to and in service within the state superintendency. From a constructivist, Grounded Theory approach, the study investigates a glaring gap in the current available literature in an effort to answer the overarching question: Do female superintendents perceive gender as playing a role in fulfilling one's duties at the state level?</p>

<p> American expatriate Sylvia Beach (1887-1962) is mostly recognized for her contribution to Modernist literature by publishing James Joyce's <i> Ulysses</i> and <i>avant-garde</i> magazines. However, the objective of this study is to resurrect Beach's legacy as a leader by discovering how Beach, through opening Shakespeare and Company, an English-language bookshop in Paris, led the literary community who expatriated to Paris in the early twentieth century. Beach's journey into leadership began when she bravely opened her bookshop in a foreign country in 1919, at the closing of World War I, during a time when few women owned their own businesses. By creating a place, a home away from home, for the disillusioned and disenfranchised expatriates writers, Beach created a safe environment for the expatriates&mdash;a place to find their identity. By befriending them, earning their trust, and gaining their help in the <i>Ulysses</i> publishing venture, Beach created an environment of collaboration among the writers, many of whom remained lifelong friends. Beach's business model was unprecedented, and with vision and boldness, at Shakespeare and Company, Beach exemplified leadership by continually helping others, and thus transformed Shakespeare and Company into one of the most recognized bookstores of the time.</p>

<p> Similar to staffing patterns in public school systems, the majority of faculty employed in the 1,174 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) member schools are women, suggesting that school leadership pipelines are filled with female faculty, along with middle- and senior-level administrators who demonstrate daily their executive leadership capacity. Yet women remain unable to achieve access to head of school leadership positions at a rate equal to their male colleagues. Utilizing qualitative research methods and the lens of post-structuralist feminist theory, this phenomenological study examines the gendered nature of leadership roles in independent schools and the ways this cultural phenomenon informs the strategies used by African American and White women seeking mentor-prot&eacute;g&eacute; relationships, networks of support, and sponsorship from "recognized" independent school leaders. Utilizing a feminist framework to examine the cultural context that informs women's leadership preparation (Olesen, 1994, 2003), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants whose lived experience as independent school leaders and/or as executive search consultants for independent schools illuminated points of tension between settled and unsettled periods in the lives of aspiring women leaders and explored the strategies of action (Swindler, 1986) used to negotiate points of discursive disjunction (Chase, 1995, 2003). This study contributes to the present discourse regarding the role gender plays in the normalization of independent school leadership, proposes questions for further inquiry, and suggests strategies of action for independent school communities, trustees, and professional organizations to use when crafting policy, planning leadership training/development, and succession planning that addresses gender disproportionality.</p>

<p>ABSTRACT Yemeni women have a subordinate position in the conservative, male-dominated society, and girls? education remains a challenge. The school curriculum perpetuates the traditional values of social injustice, and Yemen is in the last place among 142 countries for gender equality. The purpose of this case study was to explore the role of the education curriculum in Yemen, to describe how that curriculum represents women, and to explore how that representation impacts the place of Yemeni women. The conceptual framework drew on theories of gender equity and equality in education, and their application to Yemeni curricula and girls? education. Data were gathered from eight Yemeni women aged 25 to 35, using both face-to-face and electronic questionnaires. Data analysis began with coding and categorizing until themes emerged to identify the absence of female voices in curriculum and the role of literature in promoting gender equality. The Yemeni curriculum does not effectively address social justice and girls? education. Research findings suggested that a relevant literature curriculum that included Yemeni women authors and subjects could motivate Yemeni women to think critically about their status in society and encourage the voices of women to narrow the gender disparity. Findings showed that the inclusion of women in the Yemeni curriculum could have the following three critical impacts: inspiring the minds of both boys and girls, developing girls? self-esteem, and empowering young women leaders. Recommendations included a revision and development of the current Yemeni curriculum so that it features both males and females as equal citizens and encouraging greater public awareness of the value of women?s experience in the development of the country. This may help to build a sense of equality and social justice.

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomena of underrepresentation of African American women in corporate America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 African American women with current or previous experience working in corporate America in senior-level roles, who acknowledged that racism and sexism exists in corporate America, and were willing to share their experiences. A phenomenological methodology was used to explore the lived experiences of these women. Results of the analysis uncovered five themes that described experiences of practices leading to inequality, diversity, leadership journeys, leadership practices and racial perceptions. Participants employed several strategies to cope with experiences of racism and sexism in the workplace. Theoretical and leadership implications, limitations, recommendations, as well as suggestions for future research were discussed.</p>

<p> Psychological resilience theory and the capacity to cope with adversity, trauma, tragedy, and threats (Anthony &amp; Koupernik, 1974; Garmezy, 1973; Masten, Best, &amp; Garmezy, 1990; Werner, 1982) has received growing recognition as an area of considerable theoretical and applied importance. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study seeks to advance the discussion regarding how some women who experienced one or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (Felitti et al., 1998) coped with adversity. Specifically, the study looked at how these women decided to pursue a path to leadership. The study was divided into two phases. Initially, women who were in leadership programs or leadership roles were asked to take an electronic survey which included the existing Psychological Capital Questionnaire for Research, (Luthans, Youssef, &amp; Avolio, 2007) combined with a shortened version of the ACE questionnaire (Felitti et al., 1998). The first phase measured individual psychological capital, identified whether ACEs existed, and revealed whether leadership training or education was pursued. Women who self-identified as being willing to be interviewed were asked to participate in the qualitative phase of the study using Giele's (2002) life-course themes: "identity, relational style, drive and motivation, and adaptive style" to further probe the data collected. Findings included key influencers cited by the women that helped them move from adversity to leadership. The development of a conceptual model grounded in the research was also proposed adding additional findings to overcoming adversity, positive adaptation, resiliency and leadership. Keywords: Leadership, resilience, women, adverse childhood experiences.</p>

<p> Little has been written about Mary Easton Sibley, the founder of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, which until its acceptance of men in the mid-20^th century was the oldest women's college west of the Mississippi River and stands today, a thriving private coeducational institution, as the second oldest college west of that demarcation. This dearth of literature seemed unwarranted since Sibley was as progressive as her more famous East Coast contemporaries (Mary Lyon, Catharine Beecher, et al). All were motivated by the socially progressive Protestant evangelical movement known as the Second Great Awakening and by the founders' quest for an enlightened citizenry. Sibley particularly embraced the founders' notions of a useful, practical education. She was a strong-willed and generally admirable educational leader who founded a long-lived college during a cholera outbreak and in the face of criticism (for teaching young women to be independent and also for educating slaves at the St. Charles Sabbath School for Africans). </p><p> This study shed new light on Sibley's educational leadership through a comparative analysis using her spiritual journal and a book titled <i> Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge</i> (1985, 2007) by USC professors emeriti Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus. The researcher examined whether evidence of Bennis and Nanus' four leadership strategies or competencies could be found in Sibley's journal, which she wrote primarily during the founding of Lindenwood (circa 1831), the rationale being that if contemporary leadership theory was evidenced nearly 200 years ago, it would likely be relevant 200 years hence, and therefore could be considered valid for today's educational leaders. The analysis required the creation of decontextualized researcher statements that enabled the iii coding of an historical document using contemporary theory. The study showed strong evidence of most of the researcher's statements (e.g., Leaders are singularly focused on their agenda and produce results, Leaders know what they want and communicate that clearly to others, Leaders challenge others to act, etc.) There was moderate evidence of competencies involving an awareness of strengths and weaknesses, and evidence of social scaffolding was weak, largely because of the nascent state of the college during the period studied.</p>

<p> Organizational leaders need to establish policies and programs to retain quality employees. Mentorship and work life balance positively impact organizational commitment and reduce turnover intention. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to explore the role that mentors play in helping women achieve work life balance. </p><p> Two major theoretical frameworks were used as a basis of this study. Giele (2008) identified 4 life course dimensions that contribute to an individual's behavioral system: identity, relational style, drive and motivation, and adaptive style. Elder and Giele (2009) built on this work and combined elements of their paradigms to link dimensions of an individual's behavioral system and the setting where that individual functions. Kram (1988) documented 2 major categories of mentorship functions. The first set of functions, career functions, focuses on those aspects of the mentoring relationship that enhance career advancement. The second set of functions, psychosocial functions, focuses on interpersonal aspects of the relationship. The research questions focused on how the presence of a mentor in the workplace impacted women's experiences and enabled them to meet the challenges of work life balance. </p><p> The research questions explored how having a mentor while dealing with the challenges of work life balance impacted the 17 participants' perceptions of organizational commitment and turnover intention. The researcher also investigated how mentorship functions differed based on the characteristics of the mentor relationship. </p><p> This researcher gathered the data by sending an online survey to 80 women who had previously participated in the Digital Women's Project (Weber, 2011). Data were coded based on a priori lists that were developed from the theoretical frameworks and the literature. Themes were established and utilized to develop findings for each research question. </p><p> Nine out of 17 participants had a mentor who aided her with work life balance. Women who had a mentor experienced all 4 life course dimensions. Both mentoring and work life balance positively impacted the participants' organizational commitment and reduced their turnover intention. The participants experienced almost exclusively positive mentorship outcomes. In light of these findings, organizational leaders can develop policies and programs to encourage mentorship and aid employees with work life balance, thus increasing retention. </p>

<p> Throughout history women have attempted to reach senior leadership positions in churches of all denominations, but only within the past three centuries have women gained a presence in such positions. This thesis was undertaken to fill the gap of current research on the leadership roles of women within the ministry of traditionally conservative churches. Data were collected through surveys and follow-up interviews. Twelve women who held senior leadership positions in American Baptist churches participated in the case study. Their stories of religious transformation, social support, and discrimination are highlighted in this study. Their callings were both a personal and religious experience that could only be captured through interdisciplinary, qualitative research methods. Religious studies, women's studies, and critical theory were combined to create a feminist narrative of spiritual women who were both leaders within their faith and change agents of conservative, religious traditions. The analysis focuses on their roles in cultural and religious reforms. In addition, the author drew upon recent theories and empirical research on collaborative, transformational, and spiritual leadership and Maslow's earlier work on human motivation to better understand the leadership roles of women in the ministry.</p>