Karamanidou, Maria (2017) Women Principals in Cyprus Primary Schools
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Women Principals in Cyprus Primary Schools: Barriers to Accession by Maria Karamanidou Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March 2017 Abstract This thesis focuses on the barriers that women principals face in Cypriot primary schools. This research had six aims including the overarching aim. The overarching aim of this research is to examine the career progress of female principals in Cyprus primary schools and to address the apparent under-representation of women in leadership positions. The research also aimed to establish the barriers that female leaders face in order to be promoted as principals, and how they can be overcome. Another aim was to establish how gender issues play a part in creating barriers to promotion as a school principal and how these may subsequently affect them in leading the school. A third consideration was to comprehend what barriers women may have faced in their childhood years and to establish whether, and to what extent, female leaders face internal and external barriers in Cyprus schools. The research also sought to identify the support or enablers that may facilitate women’s career progression. The enquiry was conducted using mixed method approaches, including both surveys and interviews. These quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to facilitate methodological triangulation. The data were collected sequentially, with the surveys preceding the interviews. This sequence was planned to obtain generalisable data first and to secure self-selected participants for the interviews. The quantitative data were collected through a whole population questionnaire survey administered to all women principals (C.187) in Cyprus primary schools, using Survey Monkey. Qualitative data were collected, from all twenty women principals who agreed to be interviewed. The findings show that societal culture and discrimination, the influence of the patriarchal family, family and domestic responsibilities, the intersection between women’s age, sex and the location of schools and professional development, were powerful influences on the career trajectory of these women primary school principals. These themes recur in several places, showing the pervasive nature of these influences on women principals in Cyprus. The thesis reports these findings and connects them to other literature on women principals. The present work is informed by contemporary feminist and gender theories. I Acknowledgements This challenging research journey would have never begun and ended without the treasured and thorough supervision, generous encouragement and commitment of a leading-edge academic who I was fortunate to have as my supervisor and mentor during my postgraduate studies. I would like to express my special appreciation and acknowledgments to my supervisor, Professor Tony Bush. I am grateful for his continual support for my doctoral journey and for his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. Also, I would like to thank him for encouraging my research and for allowing me to grow as a researcher. His advice on research, as well as on my career, have been priceless. I could not imagine having a better advisor and mentor for my Ph.D. study! This support has been greatly appreciated, let me assure you. I would also like to thank many people in Cyprus who supported me to conduct my research, despite their challenging work lives. This acknowledgment goes to all the survey and interview participants who helped me to gather such valuable data. I am also grateful to BELMAS, which granted me a prestigious doctoral bursary and allowed me to present my findings at three of its annual international Conferences. The University of Nottingham also provided me with much valued encouragement. Last but not least, I am grateful for the crucial support of my family and partner, who helped me at all stages of my research journey. Recognising their endless encouragement and support is vital, as their presence, fun time and offer of advice, assisted me to stay optimistic. I am fortunate to have them in my life! Their everyday smile and thinking have also driven me to keep working hard. Their love and belief in my potential to cultivate academically, their tolerance, especially in my demanding and difficult times, and invaluable support throughout the years, made me who I am. My appreciation go to all these people who succeeded to keep me strong-minded to complete my PhD, as a cheerful and passionate person until the end of this long journey. Therefore, I dedicate the present Thesis to my family, Kleanthis, Anthoulla, Kyriakos, Ginger, Kyriakos, Efthymia and Andreas who provided me with the inner strength and unconditional support to get me over the finishing line! II Declaration I declare that this thesis is entirely my own work and no material from this thesis has been used or published previously. I confirm that the thesis has not been submitted for a degree at another University. Maria Karamanidou March 2017 III CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................. I Acknowledgements .............................................................................. II Declaration ........................................................................................... III CONTENTS ........................................................................................... IV List of Tables ....................................................................................... IX List of Figures ...................................................................................... IX CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................................... 1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Context ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Concepts of leadership ............................................................................................................. 2 Cultural factors ............................................................................................................................ 3 Domestic issues ........................................................................................................................... 3 Socialization theories ............................................................................................................... 4 ‘Glass ceiling’ concepts ............................................................................................................. 5 Barriers arising from feminine leadership styles ......................................................... 5 Gender in leadership ................................................................................................................. 6 The Cyprus Context ........................................................................................................ 7 Historical and current background of the Cyprus educational system .............. 7 The educational system in Cyprus ...................................................................................... 8 Leadership in Cyprus ................................................................................................................ 9 Statistics related to gendered leadership ..................................................................... 12 Aims of the Research .................................................................................................. 15 Research questions ................................................................................................................. 16 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 18 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................... 20 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 20 Feminist and Gender Theories ............................................................................... 21 Feminist theories ..................................................................................................................... 21 Essentialist second Wave feminism ................................................................................. 23 Post-structural feminism ..................................................................................................... 24 Black feminism ......................................................................................................................... 25 Post-colonial feminism ......................................................................................................... 27 Theories of gendered leadership ...................................................................................... 27 Research from Developed Countries .................................................................... 31 Under-representation of Women ...................................................................................... 32 Challenges and expectations .............................................................................................. 33 Culture .........................................................................................................................................