Semi-professional school leadership in Spain: Gender differences

Identifier:  imarina:9098689

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9098689

Authors:  Tierno-García, JM; Camarero-Figuerola, M; Iranzo-García, P; Barrios-Arós, C

Abstract:
Constructing the identity of school principals is difficult because being a principal requires carrying out complex functions in challenging contexts. Our research addressed semi-professional school leadership in Catalonia, Spain, with a particular focus on differences in the managerial styles of men and women. In Spain, the school management system is semi-professional which means that principals are teachers who take on leadership roles for limited periods. In a descriptive study based on an ad hoc questionnaire administered to a representative sample, we considered the personal and contextual characteristics of elementary school principals. Focusing on the variable of gender, this article analyses principals' reasons for accepting and continuing in their position and principals' priorities when performing their duties; also, their perceptions of various aspects of the school environment that help them in their role. We found significant differences related to gender. While the predominance of male principals in elementary education is declining, female principals, more than their male counterparts, must accept and tackle the challenges associated with contextualized, distributed and pedagogical leadership in conditions leading to overexertion. Many of the principals who were women worked in small, rural or disadvantaged schools. Paradoxically, female principals construct their professional identity in closer alignment with administrative style and with teaching duties than with leadership style. We conclude that these challenges should be taken into account and further investigated to avert the precarious position of women in school leadership.