Although Canada is internationally known for its multicultural practices, the work life experiences of visible minority female school principals are unheard and absent from educational leadership research in Canada. In light of the fact that the student population in Canadian schools is increasingly diversifying, it is important to examine the experiences of visible minority female school principals from their own perspectives in order to gain a better understanding of their work life in the education system across Canada.<p> This research is a qualitative case study of the administrative work life experiences of five visible minority female school principals in five selected Western Canadian public schools. The purpose of the research was to examine and describe the administrative work life experiences of the selected visible minority female principals, with a particular focus on the path they took to become principals, the challenges they faced, and the strategies they used to foster inclusive schools. In-depth interviews were the main research method used in this study, supplemented by document and record analyses and the researchers reflective journal. Each of the five participants was interviewed three times in order to provide an in-depth analysis of their work experiences. The data were analyzed by using narrative and inductive analysis to let the participants tell their stories first and analyze the research questions inductively second. The results of this study revealed that the path to the principalship for visible minority female principals is influenced by multi-factors, personal abilities and strengths, challenges, supports, and preparatory and training programs. Each of the participants went through different processes to achieve their goal based on their own unique situations. This study also revealed the participants in their principal positions faced personal, professional, and organizational challenges related to gender, race, and accent. However, the participants regarded these challenges as opportunities for them to learn and to grow.<p> The strategies used to build inclusive schools by the five participants stemmed from the participants personal attributes, skills, support systems, and the contribution of their minority status. In their leadership positions, individuals set a clear mission, varied leadership styles, used reciprocal empowerment, demonstrated an ethic of care, acted as mentors, pursued networking, and mastered necessary positional knowledge.<p> This study provides recommendations for other visible minority female principals and visible minority female teachers who aspire to principal positions by identifying steps needed to prepare for the principalship; recommendations for Boards of Education on policy making and action as well as recommendations for professional development. Implications for future research are also set out. This study, while confirming the findings of the research done by other scholars, also has its own unique findings, and the five participants work life experiences provided five pictures of successful visible minority female school principals in Western Canadian public schools

Although Canada is internationally known for its multicultural practices, the work life experiences of visible minority female school principals are unheard and absent from educational leadership research in Canada. In light of the fact that the student population in Canadian schools is increasingly diversifying, it is important to examine the experiences of visible minority female school principals from their own perspectives in order to gain a better understanding of their work life in the education system across Canada.<p> This research is a qualitative case study of the administrative work life experiences of five visible minority female school principals in five selected Western Canadian public schools. The purpose of the research was to examine and describe the administrative work life experiences of the selected visible minority female principals, with a particular focus on the path they took to become principals, the challenges they faced, and the strategies they used to foster inclusive schools. In-depth interviews were the main research method used in this study, supplemented by document and record analyses and the researchers reflective journal. Each of the five participants was interviewed three times in order to provide an in-depth analysis of their work experiences. The data were analyzed by using narrative and inductive analysis to let the participants tell their stories first and analyze the research questions inductively second. The results of this study revealed that the path to the principalship for visible minority female principals is influenced by multi-factors, personal abilities and strengths, challenges, supports, and preparatory and training programs. Each of the participants went through different processes to achieve their goal based on their own unique situations. This study also revealed the participants in their principal positions faced personal, professional, and organizational challenges related to gender, race, and accent. However, the participants regarded these challenges as opportunities for them to learn and to grow.<p> The strategies used to build inclusive schools by the five participants stemmed from the participants personal attributes, skills, support systems, and the contribution of their minority status. In their leadership positions, individuals set a clear mission, varied leadership styles, used reciprocal empowerment, demonstrated an ethic of care, acted as mentors, pursued networking, and mastered necessary positional knowledge.<p> This study provides recommendations for other visible minority female principals and visible minority female teachers who aspire to principal positions by identifying steps needed to prepare for the principalship; recommendations for Boards of Education on policy making and action as well as recommendations for professional development. Implications for future research are also set out. This study, while confirming the findings of the research done by other scholars, also has its own unique findings, and the five participants work life experiences provided five pictures of successful visible minority female school principals in Western Canadian public schools

<p>Attityder gentemot kvinnors i företagsledningar har under de senaste åren haft en positiv förändring. Trots det har människan länge förutsatt att högt positionerade ledare är män. Detta tyder på att kvinnor som strävar efter toppositioner möter hinder som försvårar deras väg upp för karriärstegen. Med detta i åtanke är syftet med denna uppsats att skapa en förståelse för viktiga dimensioner som påverkar kvinnors strävan mot toppositioner.</p><p>Som hermeneutiker var teorin utgångspunkten i vår forskningsansats. Efter genomförda interjuver, som berikade oss med en djupare förståelse inom ämnet, återgick vi och utvecklade teorierna. Vi önskade att värdera attityder bland de intervjuade kvinnorna och valde därför en kvalitativ vetenskaplig forskning. Vi erhöll en djupare förståelse för hur kvinnor når toppositioner, eftersom vår forskningsansats tillät oss att komma nära de studerade kvinnorna. Den empiriska informationen insamlades genom djupgående intervjuer med sex högt positionerade kvinnliga ledare. De utvalda respondenterna är i alfabetisk ordning: Amelia Adamo, Eivor Andersson, Gunilla Forsmark-Karlsson, Lena Herrmann, Anitra Steen, and Meg Tivéus.</p><p>De främsta teoretiska områdena, bidragande till att kvinnor når toppositioner är; självmedvetenhet, motivation, mentorskap, nätverk samt att ha en balans i livet. Hinder kvinnor möter längs vägen måste också övervägas för att få en helhetsförståelse för fenomenet; hur kvinnor når toppositioner. Den empiriska studien, framtagen via djupgående intervjuer med högt positionerade kvinnliga ledare, analyserades med hjälp av existerande teorier.</p><p>Det är inte en enkel uppgift att förstå faktorerna bakom underrepresentationen av högt positionerade kvinnor i företagsledningarna. Vårt samhälle idag är väl utvecklat och gör det därför svårt att förstå svårigheterna för kvinnor att nå toppositioner. För att skapa en förståelse måste vi kanske se bort från detaljerna och hindren och istället fokusera på kvinnorna som faktiskt har tagit sig den långa vägen till toppen. Detta leder oss till frågan; kvinna, hur kom du så här långt? Resultaten gjorde det möjligt att dra slutsatsen att de största hindren, när kvinnor strävar mot toppositioner, är interna faktorer inom kvinnorna själva. Kvinnorna måste våga tro på sig själva och utnyttja sina kunskaper och erfarenheter. Trots detta är kvinnorna inte isolerade individer. På grund av detta är inte personliga egenskaper tillräckligt för att förklara fenomenet om kvinnors strävan mot toppositioner. Det sker även en stor inverkan på de potentiella kvinnorna genom exempelvis nätverk samt mentorer.</p> / <p>Social attitudes towards women’s role in management have during the last decades had a positive change. However, people have for long assumed that a top executive is a man. This indicates that women striving for top positions often come across barriers that are blocking their attempts to climb the career ladder. With this in mind, the purpose of the thesis was to provide an understanding of important dimensions for women who strive for top positions.</p><p>As hermeneutic researcher, we used theory as a starting point. After the interviews, which enabled us to get deeper into the subject, we were able to move back to the theory again. We wanted to rate attitudes, beliefs and motivations among the interviewed women, and therefore a qualitative research choice was made. We were then able to get a deeper understanding of how women reach top positions, since the method permits us to come close to the research subject. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with six top positioned female leaders. The respondents selected for this study were, in alphabetical order: Amelia Adamo, Eivor Andersson, Gunilla Forsmark-Karlsson, Lena Herrmann, Anitra Steen, and Meg Tivéus.</p><p>The major theoretical areas, which are touched upon, are factors contributing to women’s strive for top positions within organizations. Important topics are self-confidence, motivation, mentoring, networking, and balance in life. Barriers must also be considered as obstacles coming across women’s way to top positions. The empirical data, received through the in-dept interviews with top positioned women, was analyzed with assistance of the theories.</p><p>It is not a simple task to understand the underrepresented part of women on top positions in the business life. The society today is very well developed and it is hard to realize the difficulties for women to get to the top. To understand we might have to look away from the details and barriers and start looking at the how women who actually are in the top made it so far. This guides us to the question; woman, how did you come this far? The findings enabled us to conclude that the major barriers, when striving for top positions, are internal factors within the women themselves and if they want to become top executives. However, the women are not isolated individuals. Therefore, not only the personal characteristics are enough when striving for top positions. There are still huge influences from people around the potential women, like networks and mentors.</p>

<p> </p><p>Past research reveals that fewer women than men possess top management positions and statistics imply that in Sweden only 24 percent of all board members are women (European Commission, 2008). Gender differences are even more obvious in the private sector and this is the reality facing today’s graduates, regardless of the fact that the number of female and males taking a business degree in Sweden is approximately the same (SCB, 2006).</p><p>The purpose of this study is to examine if networking can influence women’s career development. Networking and social capital is argued to be a vital tool for career development (Yukl, 2006), and former studies present information that men and women take advantage of their networks rather differently (Burke, Rothstein and Bristor, 1995). However, as the researchers approached the subject, supplementary factors for advancing up the corporate ladder were identified. Theories regarding female leadership, female career progression and the glass ceiling are therefore taken into consideration as vital factors for career development. In order to carry out this study a qualitative approach was chosen, and five business women were interviewed, all considered proficient of the subject.</p><p>The main conclusion derived from the interviews demonstrates that formal networks were less important than informal networks in order to overcome career obstacles and advance professionally. The networks that were considered most beneficial for the interviewees were the ones that evolved naturally and were reciprocal. Moreover, pure female networks were not considered as valuable as mixed networks since men more often possess access to important information than women. Having a mentor was considered vital at top positions since it provides support and further enhances information sharing. However, the results led to conclude that an additional key success factor for female career development was connected to leadership style; and having a transformational leadership style with transactional characteristics was concluded as most beneficial. Furthermore, the interviewees highlighted the importance of possessing the right personal traits and also to share the responsibilities for home and family life with one’s partner.</p><p>This study is assumed to be interesting for women in their career with ambitions to reach the top of the corporate ladder. It is also assumed to be interesting for network organisations to use as a benchmark tool.</p><p> </p>

This thesis investigates how an organizational change can lead to an increased share of women at top management positions. Based on interviews at Sandvik, an organization that has received extensive attention for its efforts to increase the share of female executives, the study aims to understand how an organizational culture is changed in a way that will lead to more women at top management positions. The study also aims to give an answer to how the change process is implemented and what kinds of changes in content that are needed. The empirical findings are analyzed using a theoretical framework based on change management literature and female leadership literature. The results of the study indicate that actions to increase gender diversity should be integrated in the overarching company strategy. There are further indications that it can be enough to have a personal conviction from a prominent leader within the organization to start the change process. Commitment and support from top management is thereafter vital. A final indication is that the changes in content should be aimed at changing the mindset of the employees throughout the organization.

Att chefstalanger skulle vara speciellt kännetecknande för något av könen finns det inga bevis för. Eftersom det i dagens samhälle arbetar i stort sett lika många kvinnor som män, står kvinnan för hälften av begåvningsreserven. Det vore därför förödande för företag att inte ta till vara på denna tillgång. Statistiken gällande fördelningen av kvinnliga och manliga chefer inom näringslivet ser dyster ut, år 2006 var det endast 23 % kvinnor i chefsbefattning i den privata sektorn. På grund av denna snedfördelning kom vi fram till vårt syfte som är att förklara hur företag  går till väga för att få en mera balanserad fördelning mellan kvinnor och män på ledande befattningar. I uppsatsen har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod. Teorin skapades genom att söka information i form av litteratur, artiklar och utredningar. Därefter insamlades material till empiridelen genom två besöksintervjuer. Empirin ställdes sedan mot den teoretiska referensramen i en analys. Det resultat vi har kommit fram till i vår studie är att det finns fler olika tillvägagångssätt som företag använder sig av. Chefsutveckling, mentorskap och nätverk är ofta förekommande åtgärder för att få mer könsbalans på chefpositioner.

The more leadership you get, the more power you will receive. Unfortunately, not everyone is given the same opportunities. This can be seen and proved on the basis of studies in media companies. Our purpose concerns attitudes towards female leadership in Moscow, Russia. This thesis was based on two study methods, qualitative interviews and observations. The respondents in our study were divided into three groups,students, media teachers and a media company. The study focused on subject areas suchas female leadership today, the future of female leadership, creative leadership, political and historical influences, Russian leader style as well as the existence of the glass-ceiling.Our conclusion is that Russia is not ready for a female leadership, mainly because of their historical context.

This master thesis deals with the gender perception in leaderships positions. Starting from our awareness of a gendered leadership gap, this thesis aims to show our development towards our understanding of reality as socially constructed. We apply the Discourse in order to see how oppression works on women. In the course of our master thesis, we came across poststructuralists, like Foucault, Derrida and Lacan, philosopher and psychoanalysts, like Freud, Beauvoir, Irigaray, Kristeva and Butler, as well as sociolinguists, like Cameron, Miller, Baxter and Tannen. Their ideas have enriched our gendered Discourses. Furthermore, by dealing with their ideas, we were able to understand how powerful words can be. Words have the power to create identities, our reality and oppress certain groups of people. The group of people we have focussed on are women. Although the category “women” is fragmented and gender is one of many features of persons, there is something that all women share – oppression through language. Thus, women are less likely to move in the corporate ladder and lead. In two Discourse Analysis based on job advertisements for leadership positions offered in Germany and Italy, we see how language-in-use may cause a reason for a gendered leadership gap. The Discourses available to us influence how we understand the reality around us, construct our identities and negotiate our roles. With this thesis, we hope contribute to today’s Discourses and raise people’s awareness of how our language keeps women from entering leadership positions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-124).

<p>The more leadership you get, the more power you will receive. Unfortunately, not everyone is given the same opportunities. This can be seen and proved on the basis of studies in media companies. Our purpose concerns attitudes towards female leadership in Moscow, Russia. This thesis was based on two study methods, qualitative interviews and observations. The respondents in our study were divided into three groups,students, media teachers and a media company. The study focused on subject areas suchas female leadership today, the future of female leadership, creative leadership, political</p><p>and historical influences, Russian leader style as well as the existence of the glass-ceiling.Our conclusion is that Russia is not ready for a female leadership, mainly because of their historical context.</p>