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Female teachers need greater support to lead

Female educators face substantial personal, social, and systemic obstacles that prevent them from rising to senior leadership roles in schools, new Australian Catholic University (ACU) research shows.

The barriers are even higher for female teachers from minority groups who face additional layers of discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

The Empowering Women for Principalship: Strategies for Aspiring Leaders report, led by ACU’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education and based on an analysis of 55 international peer-reviewed studies, has highlighted the causes behind a significant underrepresentation of female school leaders in Australia, and globally.

Study Chief Investigator Associate Professor Theresa Dicke said the disproportionate representation of female school leaders was particularly concerning given the highly feminised nature of the teaching profession.

Figures from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership show that in 2021, men accounted for 31 per cent of leadership positions in Australian schools despite only filling 21 per cent of teaching roles. Meanwhile, 79 per cent of females worked as teachers while 69 per cent had advanced to leadership.

“We know women make up the majority of education professionals yet their ascension to educational leadership roles is disproportionately low, highlighting a significant gap in opportunity, support, and, ultimately, representation,” Associate Professor Dicke said.

“Males are more likely to be in leadership positions relative to holding roles in the classroom, while the opposite scenario is true of female educators.”

The research, also conducted by Dr Marzena Baker, of ACU’s Peter Faber Business School, and Dr Rebecca Pagano and Dr Paul Kidson, of ACU’s School of Education, found societal norms, gender biases, and cultural expectations often confined female educators to traditional non-leadership or teaching roles.

“The pathway for women to become principals is often filled with hostility and lack of support including difficulty balancing home and work responsibilities, discrimination, gender bias, stereotypes, racism, and religious or cultural constraints that reinforce patriarchal structures,” Associate Professor Dicke said.

“ACU’s own landmark annual Principal Health & Wellbeing Survey has repeatedly shown female school leaders experience higher levels of burnout than male school leaders and this can also serve as a deterrent for female candidates, thus further perpetuating the leadership gender gap.”

In addition to highlighting barriers women face in becoming school leaders, the research, funded by Catholic Secondary Principals Australia, also identified strategies designed to support career advancement including creating strong support networks and environments that foster leadership potential among female educators.

“Aspiring female primary and secondary school principals need better access to professional development, inclusive environments, structured mentorship programs, resilience training workshops, and more transparent promotion processes to create an empowering landscape for career growth,” Associate Professor Dicke said.

“We need to urgently level the playing field when it comes to opportunities for women to advance to leadership roles in schools. Improved personal support systems and systemic changes to address gender biases and promote equity will empower women to leadership positions and enrich the broader educational community.”

Empowering Women for Principalship: Strategies for Aspiring Leaders report