The glass ceiling in education

#womened

Hannah Wilson · 11 months ago

So tonight #womened are hosting #SLTchat - you can still vote for the discussion questions and scenarios here:

We will be exploring some of the issues that have been raised already via @staffm, twitter and our #Womened googledoc. This will help us in turn to continue to shape the event we are planning on October 3rd.

Please get involved in you are following the #womened posts on here and beyond; if you are interested in equal opportunities; or simply wondering what is it all about.

We have a lot of followers who are tentative to dip their toe into the debate, as they have not yet found their voice, please take this opportunity to follow the discussion and share your views/ experiences/ concerns.

There is some food for thought in these articles in the meanwhile:

www.theguardian.com/teacher-ne...

schoolsweek.co.uk/finding-the-...

Also this brilliant blog has just been added:

heymisssmith.blogspot.co.uk/20...

The barriers facing female leaders:

"Confidence issues, family commitments and sexist attitudes are preventing some women from stepping up into headship positions, according to experts".

The statistical evidence that we are not being represented:

"The teaching profession is dominated by women. Out of the 365,000 teachers in England, 74% are female. But when it comes to the number of heads across the country the data tells a different story".

The salary discrepancies:

"And the tale continues when it comes to pay, with 23% of men working in schools sitting in the top pay bracket compared to 19% of women".

The gender biases at interview:

"Figures suggest governors have a gender bias when they appoint headteachers".

The opportunities:

"In the past three years, female applicants to the Future Leaders programme – an accelerated headship programme, which uses similar selection methods – have outperformed men".

The global dimension:

"The preliminary evidence has shown that women in England may be having a radically different and potentially more difficult leadership experience than those in America and Canada".

"Women in England seem to be more worried about being a leader and a parent. They often don't think the two are compatible."

See you tonight!

Comments

mike highton @isright 11 months ago

I may be a little off the mark on this Hanah, but I am the only male in my school. I don't see the issue as being a bias against Women, I see it as the majority of Leadership positions are already held by women. In my last 3 school I have been the only 'insignificant other' as the male staff member. If you are good enough then you will be given the opportunities to take on further Leadership roles. In my case I am happy as a Leader and much happier as a Class Teacher with Leadership responsibilities that do not take me out of my 'Teaching' role.

Hannah Wilson @misswilsey 11 months ago

That is interesting to hear Mike - I have always been the opposite - perhaps it is the spread of diversity that is one of the issues?

The glass ceiling in education

Why are so few women becoming Headteachers?