Enhancing Equity for Women’s Leadership in International Schools Through Transformative Action
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22044631 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicky Bourgeois (0009-0009-2733-256X, University of Newcastle Australia), J J Harris (0000-0002-8021-2251, University of Newcastle Australia), Jessica Harris (0000-0003-4584-6993, School of Education, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia), Susan Ledger (0000-0001-7050-1001, University of Newcastle Australia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 788 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16050788 |
| OpenAlex | W7162079921 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
Despite increased recognition of its importance, most activities promoting the inclusion of women in leadership in the international schooling sector occur within discrete pockets or subgroups of women advocating for and supporting other women. Actions being taken by these women for women are not reaching a broader audience and have yet to sufficiently address the challenge of meeting gender equity in leadership in international schools. This article presents findings from interviews with eight women who are experts in the field of International Schooling. We use Shields’ Transformative Leadership Theory as a lens to analyse, problematise and theorise the structures surrounding women in leadership in international schools and propose a way forward. Our findings reveal the difficulty of defining the problem and the evidence of significant silences around women in leadership. We argue that if International Schooling is to be transformative, then institutions and systems must pursue a more socially just agenda. We argue for the need to overcome silences and challenge traditional notions of leadership that have disadvantaged women. Finally, we present an adaptation of Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness Capability Framework to propose a potential pathway forward to support equity for women in leadership in International Schooling
Disadvantaged · Educational leadership · Indigenous · Instructional leadership · Leadership style · Transformational leadership · Transformative learning · Global Education and Multiculturalism · International Student and Expatriate Challenges · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development
Dialogic Leadership for Social Justice
Leadership in international schools
Mapping the terrain of leadership
The crypto-growth of “International Schooling”
Can the International Baccalaureate (IB) make a better and more peaceful world? Illuminating limits and possibilities of the International Baccalaureate movement/programs in a time of global crises
Legitimacy, power, and aesthetics, in the International Baccalaureate
The problem-centred expert interview’. Combining qualitative interviewing approaches for investigating implicit expert knowledge
Evidence of transformative leadership for inclusive practice
The continuous growth and development of ‘International Schooling’
Women, Power & Leadership
Perspectives of women as they navigate their path to principalship in Australian secondary schools
Transformative Leadership
| Highly cited | No |
|---|