Career barriers of female education administrators: Systematic review and a qualitative meta-synthesis

Abstract

In many societies, women are assigned missions such as being a good mother, a good wife, an unpaid domestic worker, a child caregiver and an emotional person. These missions attributed to women may prevent them from revealing their potential and talent in the workplace. Undoubtedly, though these roles, assigned to women by society, are attempted to be explained with glass ceiling and gender stereotypes, these inequalities against women could be related to many more complex historical, social, political, and cultural factors. This study aims to reveal and discuss the career barriers experienced by female education administrators. A qualitative meta-synthesis method was employed in this study through a systematic review of 21 studies included in the analysis. ENTREQ-PRISMA statements and CASP protocol were used to improve the reporting of systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis. As a result of this systematic review, the career barriers experienced by female education administrators clustered under four themes, including family-related barriers, organizational structure-related barriers, women's self-imposed psychological barriers, and social structure- related barriers.