Hindrances to Women Advancing to Principals’ Decision Making Positions in Secondary Schools in Kenya: An Approach towards Evidence of Convergence and Divergence Views

Abstract

This chapter presents findings based on views of male and female principals in relationship to barriers or hindrances that contribute to the current situation of underrepresentation of women in secondary schools leadership, management and administration positions. The study was conducted in a county in Kenya and employed a quantitative survey approach involving 22 male and 18 female principals who were purposively selected from forty secondary schools.  Questionnaires were used to collect data. The resulting data was analysed using the SPSS (Software package for social science). The study findings indicate existence of convergence and divergence views among male and female principals, regarding factors that hinder women teachers from ascending to secondary school principalship, among the schools that took part in the study. The study concludes that barriers or hindrances to women advancement into educational leadership were differentially perceived between female and male secondary principals. One recommendation is that a large scale study was necessary in order to develop a full understanding of both male and female principals perceptions regarding factors that hindered women from advancing to leadership positions in secondary schools in Kenya.