Women in School Management: Experiences of Women Principal's in School Management Positions

Women in school management positions, particularly principals of schools have a number of challenges, for example, they are caught in between work responsibilities and the role of being a mother and wife. Gender stereotypes makes the society look at women managers as uncapable of managing schools. Hence they sometimes tend to lose their identity as women in a male orientated field of school management. Therefore, they sometimes tend to grow muscles in an attempt to prove themselves as capable managers. Despite all their challenges, they still believe in effectively managing their schools through involving all the stakeholders that have interest in education matters in the decision making process. This strategy seemed more appropriate in promoting democratic participation in schools as stipulated in South African education policies.