An investigation into the promotion opportunities for women educators in the KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture with particular reference to high schools in Umlazi.
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Date
1994
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Abstract
In education women outnumber men as teachers, but the top positions
are almost entirely dominated by men. Shakeshaft (1987:20), using data
collected for education systems in the United States of America noted
that in 1984-5, only 3,0 percent of the district superintendents were
women, although 50,1 percent of all secondary school teachers and 83,5
percent of all elementary school teachers were women. According to
Blampied (1989), the data obtained from the 1987 statistical returns from
government schools under the Natal Education Department indicated that
the number of women in education administration was disproportionately
lower than the number of men in congruent positions. It was decided that
the situation deserved to be tested in schools administered by the
KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture. According to the survey
of secondary schools administered by the KwaZulu Department of
Education and Culture, in respect of the 230 Junior Secondary schools in
the sample, 86,5 percent of the school principals were male and the
incidence of male principals was even greater in high schools (Thurlow
1993:32).
The study of selected literature led to the finding of possible barriers to
the career advancement of women educators. The barriers were
classified into two broad categories - internal barriers, relating to
psychological factors; and external barriers, which related to institutional,
societal and organizational structures.
A questionnaire was designed to attempt to ascertain if any congruency
could be identified between the barriers perceived by other researchers
and those which according to the respondents existed in schools
administered by the KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture.
The most commonly cited obstacle to the upward mobility of women was
discrimination against them. There were suggestions that women were
generally valued less than men. Women were treated as inferior in law,
politics, religion and education as well as in society generally. Other
barriers to promotion which were frequently alluded to related to the
perception that some women were not interested in vertical career
mobility but preferred to remain in the classroom rather than seek a
position which would distance them from teaching.
The evidence also suggested that although the larger proportion of the
respondents were keen to receive a promotion, they thought they would
not be promoted because they considered the allocation of promotions to
be unfair. It was however noted that women educators who have made
some progress on the promotional ladder perceived fewer obstacles to
their advancement than unpromoted respondents.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1994.
Keywords
Women teachers--KwaZulu-Natal--Promotions., Sex discrimination in education--KwaZulu-Natal., Theses--Education., High school teachers--KwaZulu-Natal., Women teachers--KwaZulu-Natal--Attitudes.