Women primary school principals in Cyprus: barriers and facilitators to progression

Karamanidou, Maria; Bush, Tony

Abstract

This paper examines the career progress of female principals in Cypriot primary schools in accessing leadership. It reports part of a mixed methods study focused on the extent to which women primary school principals in Cyprus face barriers during their accession and enactment, and what these are. The study was exploratory, and used both a survey and interviews. The data were collected sequentially, with the survey preceding the interviews. The findings show that family influences, stereotyping, previous educational experience, training seminars, Cypriot society and culture, lack of female role models, and discrimination 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. Many of these findings resonate with insights from previous research.

Citation

Karamanidou, M., & Bush, T. (2017). Women primary school principals in Cyprus: barriers and facilitators to progression

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 11, 2017
• Publication Date: Jun 13, 2017
• Deposit Date: May 10, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 13, 2017
• Journal: International Studies in Educational Administration
• Electronic ISSN: 1324-1702
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 1
• Keywords: female principals, Cyprus, career progression, primary schools
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/865342
• Contract Date: May 10, 2017