Crafting the Elastic Self? Gender and Identities in Senior Appointments in Irish Education

Abstract

This article considers the impact of new managerial reform on the recruitment and retention of women into senior management posts across the Irish education sector. In Ireland as elsewhere, the rhetoric of gender equality permeates new managerial reforms. Yet our data suggest that an emphasis on performativity and an intense commitment to paid work consolidates masculinist management cultures disguised through the ideology of choice. This works to the detriment of women, especially those with caring responsibilities. Drawing on studies of 23 top‐level educational appointments in primary, secondary and higher education, we show how the relentless crafting of an elastic self is required for both those who remain in management positions in education and those who seek them.

Gendered educational leadership: beneath the monoglossic façade

“…The 'double path in politics' (Butler, 2004, p37) that asserts entitlement but simultaneously scrutinises social categories is still needed if equal representation is to be achieved. Jennifer's predecessor did not seem to conform to the monoglossic façade in her embodiment of expected 'femininity' with regard to appearance and body language and she was criticised as a result (Devine et al, 2011;Acker, 2012). Had she been a man no one would have mentioned her glasses, nor her unfriendliness and lack of interpersonal skills.…”

“…There was a perceived need for women and men to draw simultaneously on a wide range of approaches in their relationships with children and adults. Further research is needed to build nuanced pictures of men's gendered leadership to ascertain what lies behind their monoglossic façades and how far their 'elastic selves' (Devine et al, 2011) might also be stretched. So too, research is needed into how women and men headteachers from potentially marginalised groups and their colleagues construct gendered leadership.…”

Gender in the neoliberalised global academy: the affective economy of women and leadership in South Asia

“…Devine, Grummell and Lynch (2011) used the metaphor of the 'elastic self' to describe how leadership was perceived by women in their Irish study. This implies the necessity of infinite capacity and availability that is ultimately unsustainable.…”

Looking Good and Being Good: Women Leaders in Australian Universities

“…Secondly, they are required to restore the gender order disrupted by their entrance. This involves undertaking repair work and deploying strategies to mediate their femininity while at the same time mobilising their femaleness to engage in care work [31]. The double bind is that women leaders are expected to be feminine while simultaneously demonstrating the masculinities expected of those in senior positions.…”