Being a Saudi and Qatari Female Principal: Position Demands, Challenges, and Advice

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">This qualitative study examined what female principals in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, two historically male-dominated cultures who are actively implementing reforms to provide women with more leadership opportunities, reported as typical elements of their daily work. The study also examined the challenges that these female principals reported in their efforts to improve the learning environment in their schools and what advice they would give to women entering the field of school leadership. The themes that emerged from the data were used to construct a grounded theory of the daily responsibilities of Saudi and Qatari female principals, the challenges that faced in fulfilling those responsibilities, and how they advised women entering principal positions to prepare to respond to those challenges.</p>

‘The Ties That Bind’: Indonesian Female Academic Leaders’ Agency and Constraints in Higher Education

“…Findings in this study align with a previous study in the Middle East-with traditionally patriarchal societies similar to Indonesia-reporting that two of the top challenges facing female academic leaders are the lack of decision-making power, and the lack of access to resources which create a burden on effective leadership practices (Vogel & Alsliman, 2018). Findings suggest that FALs' agency was frequently curtailed by the lack of fiscal resources, a lack of top leadership support, and debilitating bureaucratic systems.…”