Perspective on the gender issue in educational administration: A phenomenological study

Although there are many women teachers in the field of education, there are almost no women in the field of management. Although there is no legal obstacle, the fact that the rate of women in management levels in education is quite low compared to men constituted the starting point of the research. From this point of view, the study aimed to reveal the effect of gender factor in educational administration on the basis of teachers' opinions. Snowball sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the study group. The study group consists of 10 teachers working in Elâzığ province. In the study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research approaches, was used. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview form. Descriptive analysis and content analysis were used in data analysis. The results of the research show that there are no laws or regulations that hinder women's promotion to senior management positions due to their gender and that there are even supportive practices in this regard. On the other hand, the gender factor in the promotion of women to senior management positions shows its effect in the form of women not preferring management due to the social roles attributed to them. According to the research findings, the fact that women are responsible for spouse and child care due to their social roles causes them not to prefer the field of management. In this regard, it has been concluded that granting positive discrimination to women with children during working hours, equal distribution of social roles, taking responsibility for housework and childcare by men will prevent women from experiencing role conflict and will positively affect their access to management positions. It has been determined that negative stereotypes as well as the role of motherhood are the reasons for the insufficient representation of women in educational administration. Participants stated that there is an unequal situation between men and women in educational administration due to stereotypes against women. However, it is understood that there is not a conscious and systematic "gender discrimination" or "injustice" based on gender, which is mentioned in some studies. On the other hand, as a result of the research, traditional social structure, lack of mentors, inadequate family and spouse support, professional stereotypes, and bureaucratic obstacles were also found to be factors that prevent women from reaching management positions.