Becoming Women School Leaders in Kenya: Challenges and Possibilities

Abstract

Although gender equality in education is an important policy issue in Kenya today, educational leadership remains a male preserve. Women headteachers have received minimal attention and very little is known about their experiences. The article presents findings of a study that examines the lives of women heads of schools in Kenya as well as their experiences of becoming and being school leaders. Using life history interviews, observations, focus group interviews and document analysis, it determines the implications of these experiences for fostering gender equality in schools. The article ends by centering issues of access, quality and equality in education, and how these can be addressed, with regard to school leadership.