Conference Papers
Women are more thorough but men think ‘big’: “Gender differences” as narrated by male primary school principals
- Women are more thorough but men think ‘big’: “Gender differences” as narrated by male primary school principals
- 2009
- 2009 Gender and Education Association Conference: Gender: Regulation and Resistance in Education (2009: London, England)
-
- Hong Kong
-
- 1997.7 onwards
-
- Primary Education
- It is probably true that the teaching hierarchy in primary schools in many countries remains gendered, as men still disproportionately occupy more leadership positions than women. However, in recent years, some countries, such as Hong Kong, also notice a steady growth of female head teachers in the teaching force. How can we make sense of an increased access to leadership positions of women? And more curiously, how do male head teachers in primary school make sense of the rise of female leaders? This paper attempts to explore the situation by critically examining the perspectives of male principals in primary schools – a “successful minority” who is thus far an under-researched group in the field of gender and education. By focusing on the narratives of 12 male head teachers who talked about the rise of female leaders and any possible differences between female and male principals, this qualitative study aims to problematize men’s views and illuminate the complexity of gender equity in education. As the paper unfolds, all male principals interviewed regarded the rise as “natural” not simply because there are more female teachers in the pipelines, but more importantly women have now overcome their obstacles, as they become more educated; get married later; bear fewer or no children; stay single; and are more career—minded. More importantly, it has also identified three main discourses that men used to make sense of “gender differences”: a) women and men principals communicate differently; b) women are more thorough but men think ‘big’; c) women manage and men lead. However, when those “differences” are closely examined, most men actually perceive women principals and their styles of leadership as less competent. In other words, even though some women have gained access to position of leadership, their effectiveness as leaders is being questioned by their counterparts, as “leadership” is still conceptualized as a male and masculinedominated domain. Implications of this study for further research and for leadership training will be explored.
- Symposium conducted at the 2009 Gender and Education Association Conference: Gender: Regulation and Resistance in Education
-
- English
- Conference Papers
- https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/29590eec
- 2015-10-08
Recent Conference Papers
Avoiding the “rat race”: Hong Kong students’ sense of belonging to a Chinese university in the Greater Bay AreaConference Papers
Rethinking academic careers with an education focus: A self-narrative from Hong KongConference Papers
Equity, diversity and inclusion in Hong Kong education: Associated challenges and opportunities, and the roles of policy and leadershipConference Papers
Exploring the moderating role of learner belief on the interplay between motivation and willingness to communicate in AI-enhanced formative assessment English classrooms: a study among Hong Kong university studentsConference Papers
Autonomy and relatedness: Motivating Hong Kong kindergarten teachers in an online professional development courseConference Papers
Young children’s math competence in Hong Kong: The influence of working memory, self-regulation, and family socioeconomic statusConference Papers
Exploring the domain-specific relations between Chinese language abilities and Mathematical skills in Hong Kong kindergarten childrenConference Papers
Preservice teachers’ experiential learning: Production of digital stories to nurture children’s positive valuesConference Papers