The policy brief, Fostering gender responsive school leadership in Africa, addresses the persistent underrepresentation of women in school leadership across sub-Saharan Africa, despite women making up the majority of teaching staff. It outlines the key gender barriers limiting women’s access to leadership roles and provides policy recommendations to promote gender-responsive leadership.
Building on existing studies on school leadership in Africa, this policy brief highlights two main barriers to women’s participation in leadership: harmful social norms and structural obstacles. Gender stereotypes undermine women’s confidence, confining them to domestic roles, while education systems lack clear recruitment standards, career pathways, and professional development opportunities for aspiring female leaders. In some countries, such as Chad, women represent as little as five per cent of school leaders.
This imbalance is problematic because it limits diverse perspectives in decision-making and perpetuates gender bias in education. Women’s leadership is crucial for fostering inclusive, equitable learning environments. The brief emphasizes the importance of creating standardised recruitment frameworks, clear competency models, and dismantling gender stereotypes.
The following policy recommendations are proposed: 1) a standardised school leader competency framework and recruitment framework; 2) mentoring networks for female teachers and leaders; 3) transparent school leader career pathways; 4) anti-discrimination policies; 5) training on gender bias and gender-responsive education; 6) work-life balance initiatives for school leaders; 7) incentives for school leaders in rural and remote schools; and 8) gender audits and transparency in data.
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