Women becoming School Leaders in Rural Pakistan: Fighting against all Odds and Myths during Career Stages

Abstract

Studies on women in education leadership have gained global focus in recent decades. However, in Pakistan making sense of the lived experiences of how women get into and experience the leadership role has always remained a grey area. This life history study was carried out in a remote region in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, to explore the lived experience of the career development of women head-teachers in secondary schools. Findings highlight the role of family, society, and institutions in the journey of six women headteachers in their taking up the leadership roles. As a result, there are pertinent implications for educational leadership in the remote and marginalized regions. Factors such as the traditional perceptions about women’s role in the home and society, socio-economic conditions of the society, and their educational background seem to impact their role perception as headteachers.