The problem with which this study is concerned is that of the gross under representation of females in educational administrative positions. Answers to the following questions were sought. (1) What are the reasons there are not more female administrators in education? (2) What are the reasons that more female educators do not aspire to become administrators? (3) What are effective means by which capable female educators can be encouraged to qualify themselves for positions in educational administration? Findings showed that the participants perceived that administrators are drawn from a predominantly male candidate pool and that women are not encouraged to compete for administrative jobs by their school district administrators. Most effective means for encouraging women to become administrators were encouragement by various people who have personal contact with the teacher, provision of role models, awareness of opportunities through on-the-job work, appointment of women to legitimate rather than token administrative positions, provision of financial encouragement, and administrative internship programs. Conclusions included (1) Women teachers do not perceive that women have chosen administration as a career field to the extent that men have. (2) Women teachers do not perceive women as lacking in ability to become administrators. (3) People who have personal contact with a woman teacher can greatly influence her. (4) Most of the reasons given why women are not and do not aspire to be administrators were not determined to be of great impact when considered individually in this study.

D.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Daily media reports alert nations worldwide of the ever escalating aggressive acts of behaviour over many decades and has subsequently aroused deep concern as progressive growth In population becomes increasingly evident. Our future lies in the hands of our youth who are exposed to a wide range of educational, family, employment, political and health challenges that depart in major ways from those of young people one or two generations ago. The educational challenge is not limited to academia solely but more Importantly focuses on the upholding and envisioning of a values-based education that stirs the conscience of a nation encouraging moral, responsible law abiding citizens. This responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of our female educators amongst others in a democratic educational system. Female educators outweigh males significantly in number in our educational system yet research reveals that some female educators are not given sufficient support, acknowledgement and recognition for their committed roles In education. Faced with overwhelming demands female educators are expected to fulfil multiple roles and yet maintain a healthy balance between work commitments and family responsibilities. Some cultures have the added expectation that women bear the prime responsibility for childcare and domestic work. As a result, notable gender differences in aggression arise primarily from contrasting gender roles which augments into the workplace. The overall purpose of the study is to develop and describe a psycho-educational programme to be used as a framework of reference to facilitate the healthy self-management of secondary school female educators' experience of their aggression. The implementation and evaluation of the programme will serve as a facilitative process through the promotion of personal growth and the mobilisation of female educators to constructively self-manage their experience of aggression. Attempts to meet this broad objective were accomplished by employing an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. In this research study field notes were used in conjunction with eight in-depth phenomenological Interviews conducted with female educators. The findings of their experiences of aggression at their secondary school evolved around their associated emotions; the resultant measures of support and the coping strategies the female educators sought as a current means of addressing their mental health status as educators and community stakeholders. The data analysis of the findings revealed that female educators do have the potential to facilitate and mobilise the available resources in order to promote their own mental health and grow towards wholeness. The future scenarios that schools are likely to face are both challenging and daunting: can schools actively shape the future by listening to the heartbeat of its female educators or merely respond to its exigencies. The liberal awakenings and gradual movement from oppression to equality for the female In South Africa as well as Issues of aggression, political violence, single parenting and abuse on women further extrapolate the need to listen to the voices of women. An awareness of their plight as evidenced In this study will hopefully draw attention to their needs and bring offers of subsequent support to the mothers of our nation which will inadvertently Impact on our youth ... our future as a nation. A shared vision building process will thus only become a living force when each Individual truly believes s/he can shape her/his future. The ability of our educational system to compete in an Increasingly global economy depends on our ability to prepare both learners and educators for new or changing landscapes.

This study identifies barriers to promotion for women teachers as they endeavour to attain leadership positions in schools. Like many others in South Africa, women have gained legal rights in the present democratic dispensation. Nevertheless, women teachers are still left out of formal leadership roles in schools. Patterns and practices that relegated and held women to the margins of leadership continue to contradict the democratic ideals enshrined in the Constitution. The study explores the historical accounts which continue to marginalize women teachers from leadership, as well as the life experiences of women teachers, and seeks to discover how these accounts and experiences impact on women teachers who admire and aspire leadership roles in schools. The study is rooted in the critical feminist perspective, which frames layers of socio-political, cultural and ethical issues that did and continue to marginalize women teachers from leadership. The researcher adopted a qualitative approach, especially inductive reasoning or narration to explore settings in schools. The research methodology helped to expose how women teachers navigate the educational, cultural or social arenas, and, most importantly, how society perceives the practice of selecting leaders in schools. However, the endeavour is to create an equitable platform for leadership in schools. The study is based on information on gender imbalances drawn from schools in Soshanguve (Pretoria, South Africa). Interviews, questionnaires and observation were selected as data-collection instruments. Eight women teachers and eight male teachers took part in this study. Subsequently, two women principals and two male principals also volunteered to take part in this study. Participants were intentionally selected. Each participant gave informed consent in writing. Voluntary participation involves the ethical issues of confidentiality, anonymity, and privacy. The researcher observed values such as trust, respect, empathy and dignity of the participants. The data analysis and interpretation revealed the following major themes: <ul> <li>discrimination on the basis of sex</li> <li>stereotypes that believe that men make better managers</li> <li>fear and lack of self-esteem</li> <li>unavailability of structured support for women teachers.</li> / Dissertation (Magister Educationis (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

No description available.

The study examined perceptions of female educators at a primary school in Durban, with regard to issues of gender equality. The literature review revealed that women educators have faced great injustices regarding past educational policies (before 1994) and the nature of gender biased practices both in society and within the school systems. The study highlights some of the main barriers, both intrinsic and extrinsic, faced by women teachers which prevented their upward mobility in the profession, thus determining their perceptions of their present career status. It also focuses on strategies that women educators perceived in helping to advance in their career as a teacher thereby achieving satisfaction. The research consisted of a quantitative phase which included the use of self-completion questionnaires to determine the perceptions of the female educators to their present career status. The data collected was used to develop strategies women teachers can use to advance their careers. The findings revealed that there were two groups of teachers each with different set of perceptions. The younger generation of teachers did not experience intrinsic barriers and displayed more satisfied perceptions of their career. The older generation of teachers seemed less satisfied with their present career status. Both, however agreed that organizational constraints (extrinsic barriers) affected their advancement in the profession. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The thesis deals with the issue of feminization from sociological and anthropological point of view and describes the current state of the feminization in the Czech education system as a result of antagonism of certain historical trends and state interference. The analysis carried out on the level of kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, secondary vocational schools and universities concerns with the causes and consequences of the changes, which documents by means of statistical and other evidence. Statistical data show the development on the timeline starting from the 50's of the 20th century until the year 2011 divided in representative approximately five-years-intervals.

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The purpose of the study is to explore the views of educators with regard to the promotion of female educators to management positions at primary schools in Lulekani Circuit in the Mopani District, Limpopo Province. Specifically, this research sought to identify the factors perceived by both men and women in management positions and those who are not in management positions to be the cause of the ongoing under-representation of women at school management level. At present there are many more female educators at primary schools in the Lulekani Circuit than there are male educators. However, to date in the circuit there are many more male educators occupying management positions at these primary schools than there are females. A qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured face-to face interviews was used in this study to investigate the perceived and actual barriers and challenges which impede the promotion of female educators to management positions at primary schools in the Lulekani Circuit in the Mopani District, Limpopo Province. Twenty participants, who included both male and female educators, from five primary schools participated in one-on-one, face-to-face interviews for the purpose of this study. The sample included educators who occupy management positions (principals, deputy principals and heads of departments) and those who do not occupy management positions. The study revealed that the under-representation of female educators in management position is a highly complex issue which is influenced by factors ranging from women’s lack of confidence, lack of support from colleagues and family, gender stereotyping, family commitments and pressure from conflicting roles. The exclusion of female educators from management positions is matter of concern because, not only does it exclude a significant section of the South African community from participating in decisions that directly affect them, but it also violates the principles of equality and of the creation of a non-sexist society which are enshrined in the South African Constitution. It is recommended that urgent steps be taken by all stakeholders to ensure equal representation of both male and female educators in management positions at schools. Keywords: Promotion, management position, barriers, leadership, underrepresentation, Gender, stereotypes, glass ceiling

Thesis (EDD)--University of Montana, 2009. / Contents viewed on December 28, 2009. Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Physical education is a profession where heterosexuality has historically been regarded as normal, if not compulsory. The location of female physical education (PE) teachers at the nexus of discourses about masculinist sport, women's physical education and pedagogies of the body has exerted unique historical pressures on their sexualities. In North America and Western Europe, female PE teachers have frequently been suspected of being lesbian. This suspicion has enveloped lesbian teachers in a shroud of oppressive silence, tolerated only as an 'open secret' (Cahn, 1994). This study examined the life histories of six women from three generations who had taught physical education in western Canada. Previous life history research has focused exclusively on lesbian PE teachers (Clarke, 1996; Sparkes, 1992, 1994a, 1994b; Squires & Sparkes, 1996; Sparkes & Templin, 1992) which risks reinforcing a hierarchical relationship between 'lesbian' and 'heterosexual'. Accordingly, three women who identified as 'lesbian' and three as 'married' or 'heterosexual' were involved in this study which incorporated poststructural, psychoanalytic and queer theories about sexual subjectivity into a feminist approach to life history. The notions of 'understanding' and 'overstanding' were used to analyze data which meant interpreting not only had been said during the interviews but also what was left unsaid. The women's life histories revealed how lesbian sexualities have been marginalized and silenced, especially within the physical education profession. A l l the women grew up in families where heterosexuality was normalized, and all except one experienced pressure to date boys during their high school education in Canada. As teachers, identifying as a 'feminist' had a greater affect on their personal politics and approaches to teaching than their sexual identities. The life histories also provided limited support to the notion that PE teacher's participation in various women's sports accentuated the suspicion of lesbianism. For two of the 'lesbian' women, team sports continued to provide valuable lesbian communities from the 1950s to the present day. In contrast, one 'lesbian' women established her lesbian social network through individual sports and urban feminist groups. The 'heterosexual' women had all participated in gender-neutral sports. Overall the sporting backgrounds of these teachers did little to dispel the long-standing association between women's sports and lesbianism which, in turn, has affected female PE teachers. Drawing on queer theory and the notion of 'overstanding' data, deconstructive interpretations suggested how heterosexuality had been normalized in several institutional discourses within women's physical education. These interpretations undermined the boundaries of 'the closet', sought out an absent lesbian gaze and suggested that homophobia has been, in part, rooted in the social unconscious of the physical education profession.

Women activists in teacher unions such as Sadtu claimed that there was a disjuncture between what the South African Constitution says about gender equity and what is happening in reality. This study was undertaken to investigate this claim from the women teachers' perspective. This study explores how the social, cultural, political, historical, economic and educational factors influence the conditions of work and careers of the women teachers in KwaZulu-Natal. In this study, an historical outline of the contribution of various philosophies and attitudes to the relative position of KZN women from 1845 to 2000 is given in an attempt to seek solutions to the gender equity problem in education. The study also uses the racial perspectives to investigate the feminists' claim that Black women suffer triple oppression - that of gender, race and class. An extensive exploratory study using a multiple method approach, incorporating data from documentary research, surveys and interviews leads to the presentation of a well etched picture of the KZN women teachers. A large sample of 339 educators participated in the study. The major findings of the study include the following aspects: About 64 percent of the teachers in KZN province are women. Despite their majority in the teaching profession, their contribution to education is grossly undervalued. The most visible sign of this discrimination is the under-representativity of the women educators in managerial and decision-making positions in the education hierarchy. This stems from patriarchy which is still prevalent. Women are excluded from male dominated areas through socialisation and male resistance to change. Although about 98 percent of the women are certificated teachers, the majority of them have only a matriculation certificate as academic qualification. This stems from the historical under-investment in the girl child's education by parents and the State. About 67 percent of the women teachers are married and 68 percent have children. The majority of them believe in the tradition of marriage and are very comfortable with the multiple roles they perform. However, the majority of the Black women derive little satisfaction from teaching at the moment because of the tough working conditions and the lack of respect from learners, parents and KZNDEC officials. Presently the Govt's R & R policies cause uncertainty and frustration for the teachers. The work environment at historically Black schools can be unsafe with robbery and muggings which happen in the school grounds. Women teachers are presently on a par with the men in economic terms. The most significant aspect of the empowerment is the ability to leave their pension benefits to their husbands or dependents upon their death, this gives them a new identity, that of benefactors. Through its affirmative action policies, the State is giving preference to women when promoting personnel to managerial posts. Overall, the women teachers are still overworked and, therefore, relatively underpaid. Because of the role overload they are prone to ailments, frustration, stress etc. Therefore, it is recommended that their retirement age be reduced; the calculation of pension benefits for previously disadvantaged women teachers be corrected; women's health be given priority attention; childcare be provided at the workplace. In addition, more research on KZN women teachers' issues needs to be undertaken as this is only a baseline study. This study confirms the women teachers' claim that thus far the new Govt has addressed only the class issues and not the issues of race and gender. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2002.