Agency and Female Teachers’ Career Decisions: A Life History Study of 40 Women

Abstract

This article reports on some of the findings of a wider, life history study on the factors affecting the career decisions of 40 female secondary school teachers in England. By using life history interviews, it was possible to gain rich and nuanced insights into the complexity of factors influencing women's career decisions. While acknowledging the reality of constraints on women's lives and options, this article focuses on the women's perceptions of their own agency in their approach to career. A typology of career approaches is presented. I argue that women's awareness of their own potential for agency, and how they choose to exert it, are key considerations in understanding female teachers' career trajectories. I conclude that there is a need to move beyond an analysis in which the existence of barriers to progression is taken as a given and assumed to be a major career-shaping force, to an analysis that affords scope for taking into account the multifarious ways in which women exert their agency in the career context, making conscious and positive choices which may be at odds with traditional, hierarchical notions of career.

Female Headship and Life History Research: Using Emotional Turning Points

“…It appeared that it was possible to align the responses to the model devised by Coleman (2002) summarising a career path, with all headteachers outlining their experiences identified as preparation, establishment, advancement or development, acquisition and performance. The typologies describing females and their approaches to their careers devised by Smith (2011a) has relevance, as previously noted in relation to "protestors". In addition, Hall's (1996: p. 47) reference to Evetts' (1990: p. 40) recognisable stages relating to both career and private life were identifiable.…”

“…In drawing conclusions (and based on the data from the wider investigations) through these established relationships and use of life history research, it appears that the respondents' experiences resonated with existing models in the field whether based on career pathways or emotional intelligence and life events, including the four noted in this paper (Evetts, 1990;Ciarrochi et al, 2001;Coleman, 2002;Smith, 2011a). In addition, is the notion of the usefulness of being researched in terms of professional and personal development as the respondents retrospectively discussed their career journeys.…”

“…Investigating barriers to progression to principalship for women in Ohio, USA resulted in identification of two obstacles being "gender stereotypical views, followed by family responsibilities" as reported by Pirouznia (2013: p. 300). Further, engaging life history studies by Smith (2011aSmith ( , 2011b detail the career trajectories of fe-male teachers and their aspirations, or not, to take on headteacher roles.…”

A contested profession: employability, performativity and professionalism in Irish further education

“…This invisibility of gender equality issues reflects the normative acceptance of gender inequality in the highly feminized profession of teaching and masculine mode of senior management in the schooling sectors (Drudy 2008, Smith 2011, Lynch et al 2012. Given the earlier discussion of the gendered nature of participation in further education by students and staff, this is obviously still a pertinent social justice issue for further education to consider.…”

Utilization of Emotional Intelligence in the Management of Cultural Change in the High School in China

“…Researchers in the field of educational leadership have suggested that emotional intelligence of school leaders will have positive influence over the school operation, such as improving teachers' performance and satisfaction [8][9][10][11][12][13]. School leaders' high emotional intelligence, as is known as Goleman indicates, may enable teachers to feel that what they do is worthwhile and valued [14].…”