An investigation into the problems experienced by female heads of department as a result of prejudice against women in promotion posts : with reference to primary schools in the Isipingo area

Abstract

This research focused on an investigation into the problems female heads of department experienced with reference to the primary schools in the Isipingo area. For a successful and a balanced education on a global basis, women must be seen to be equally capable of becoming leaders of educational institutions. The purpose of this research was to ascertain how educators react to the leadership of female heads of department in primary schools. More specifically, the objective of this research was to investigate the problems that heads of department experience, mainly because they were women. A literature survey of the functions of the head of department enabled the researcher to focus on the areas that the head of department had to give her attention to in order to develop an effective team. Focus was on organizational, administrative and professional matters determining the level of similarities between the English, American and South African education systems. Research was conducted by means of a questionnaire applied to a representative sample of educators from all levels of the hierarchy of educators. The qualitative method provided a systematic investigation of the topic. The research sought to understand behaviour from the 'action' point of view where the objective was to discover the specific experiences of the respondents.