A Socio-Cultural Examination of Experiences and Challenges Facing Women in School Leadership Positions from a Rural School District in Zimbabwe

Successful educational leadership entails possessing the knowledge, skills and understanding of effective leadership skills in the education sector along with the personal ability to effectively implement those skills. In Zimbabwe the occupational and leadership status of women in general is still suffering a wide gap, as there is unequal representation in leadership positions between men and women. This study was conducted in a rural school district in Zimbabwe and it is aimed at understanding the challenges facing women in school leadership positions. In this article it was argued that there are cultural, social and structural constraints among others that impede the effective operations of women in school leadership positions. Using a qualitative research paradigm, six schools in one rural district in Zimbabwe were purposefully chosen for the study. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from six female school heads - three from primary schools and three from secondary schools. Focus group discussions were held with teachers from the same schools. The study established that despite several strides that have been made on gender equality, there are still cultural, structural, economic and social barriers facing women in school leadership positions and concludes that, even though women form a large proportion of the teaching force in Zimbabwe, they still do not hold a proportionate share of the leadership positions in schools, due to multiple challenges identified in this paper.