Talking about gendered headship: how do women and men working in schools conceive and articulate notions of gender?

Abstract

In this paper I explore how a woman secondary school headteacher and her colleagues talk about her gendered headship. To facilitate and contextualise the semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to categorise a range of attributes and qualities that have been seen as 'masculine' or 'feminine'. They attempted to plot their perceptions of her gendered headship on a continuum from 'extremely masculine' to 'extremely feminine' in relation to her appearance and interactions in various contexts. Their talk, as they explained and illustrated their thinking, reveals that even from a dualist starting point many have an understanding of the fluid nature of complex, subjective, gendered identities. The rejection of binary notions of gender by some participants disrupts the perpetuation of gender as a dualist concept. In particular, the headteacher forces open a space in which to consider the complexity of her own gendered headship.

Gendered educational leadership: beneath the monoglossic façade

“…Had she been a man no one would have mentioned her glasses, nor her unfriendliness and lack of interpersonal skills. There was criticism of a woman teacher who lacked 'feminine' qualities that children expected to find in a woman (Fuller, 2010). There was a perceived need for women and men to draw simultaneously on a wide range of approaches in their relationships with children and adults.…”

“…Douglas noted Jennifer's own translanguaging as a 'switch' from one mode to another. In her own categorisation of qualities and attributes, Jennifer forced open a space in the middle, centred between 'feminine/masculine' and 'neither/both feminine/masculine' in which to discuss gender (Fuller, 2010). In Maria's account there is seemingly perfect balance between Jennifer's 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviours.…”

“…Her colleagues identified her embodied 'femininity'. However, beneath what is termed a monoglossic disguise (Francis, 2010) lies a complex enactment of gender that she and her colleagues constructed differently depending on their own historical and socio-cultural gender narratives (Paechter, 2003a(Paechter, , 2003b(Paechter, , 2006aFuller, 2010). Here I extend the notions of gender monoglossia and heteroglossia (Francis, 2010; and polyglossia (Haywood and Mac an Ghaill, 2012) to consider Jennifer's gendered headship as constructed by her and her colleagues.…”

“…Their internal discursive struggle remains. There is also evidence of a sophisticated articulation of gender/gendered leadership (Fuller, 2010) that I go on to describe as polyglossic simultaneity.…”

“…The woman headteacher referred to here, literally put on gendered educational leadership in a dramaturgical sense with costume, coiffure and make up (Fuller, 2010). Her colleagues identified her embodied 'femininity'.…”