Invisible leaders? Reviewing contemporary evidence about women leaders in education

Abstract

This article reports the findings from a review of the scholarly literature concerning women leaders in education. The PRISMA1 approach was used to review the contemporary evidence (2014-2024) and 30 articles were identified that fully met the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for the review. A thematic analysis of the selected articles was undertaken, and five main themes emerged. Results suggest that the under-representation of women in leadership roles and the barriers that women face in securing leadership positions remain dominant within the contemporary evidential base. The review findings suggest that women are still likely to encounter complex, inter-related discriminatory challenges when seeking a leadership post. The review findings also highlight that such challenges are well documented in evidence spanning over 30 years. Finally, the article suggests that the use of more sophisticated methodological approaches, including more longitudinal research studies of women leaders (both aspiring and in post), would add significant value to the knowledge base.