Leadership enhancement amongst female principals of secondary schools in Vhembe District of South Africa

Abstract

Almost three decades into democracy, a gender imbalance continues to exist in most settings in South Africa. Although the country’s Constitution makes a firm stand against gender inequality, women still occupy the most disadvantaged positions in comparison to their male counterparts. The educational sector is not immune to this because most females are concentrated in the middle and lower-level positions in the sector. The few who manage to break this barrier by making it into leadership positions are faced with a lack of support and uncooperative attitudes from colleagues and community members, which affects their ability to perform their duties effectively, manage their schools and advance their careers. Although issues relating to the leadership experiences of female principals have been widely researched in South Africa, a detailed account in particular communities is still missing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop interventions that are tailored to the specific needs of a particular community. Furthermore, the persistence of the issue warrants its in-depth exploration in order to come up with more practical strategies to address the challenges faced by female principals in managing their schools. Therefore, this study explored the experiences of female principals in leading rural secondary schools with the intention of developing a model to improve their leadership of secondary schools in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. The study was underpinned by an integrated theoretical framework consisting of transformational leadership theory and liberal feminist theory. A qualitative approach was used to guide the collection and analysis of data collected from 18 principals, who were purposefully selected from rural secondary schools in the Vhembe District, a rural area characterised by deeply traditional and patriarchal norms and values. Data were solicited through the use of focus group discussions and interviews with the principals and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that patriarchy plays a major role in preventing female principals in rural areas from effectively performing their duties. Although some female principals reported having positive experiences, most of them indicated negative experiences, including lack of support and cooperation from the learners, parents, teachers, the community and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) officials as a result of gender discrimination and societal stereotypes, which consequently made it difficult to lead their schools. Despite this, female principals were found to be selfless and inspirational, serving as role models in overseeing the transformation and change they desire in their schools. This is a sure way of overcoming the leadership challenges they face. In light of the experiences of the female principals, the study recommends the adoption of the Multi-stakeholder Leadership Model to improve the leadership of female principals leading rural secondary schools. This model promotes the collaboration of different parties at all levels – community, learners, educators, district/provincial authorities and government – in achieving this all-important purpose. All stakeholders should collaborate in initiatives to promote and protect the rights of female principals and ensure gender equality and proper work conditions for both male and female principals in the workplace. The practice of patriarchy which is embedded in culture has to be challenged for the female principals to perform their duties effectively without limitation.