Looking for girls in all the wrong places: researching the responses of women principals to current gender equity reform.

Kylie J Harris: AARE: Paper presentation

k.harris@cqu.edu.au Central Queensland University

PH: 014 445 758 Faculty of Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the multiple ways in which women principals

depart from phallo-logocentric definitions of "the woman" and "the

principal" to new definitions while working in temporal and cultural

contexts that are resistant to discourses of gender equity. Throughout

this paper a photographic theme/metaphor is drawn on to detail

snapshots from my doctoral research on women principals in Queensland

secondary schools. These snapshots attempt to chart the, at times

discontinuous and yet intersecting lines of resistance that the women

in my study follow.

This paper begins by outlining the feminist post-structural frame of my

study. This is then followed by a deconstruction of the current

political and social context. Finally panoramic views and multiple

positions of resistance are considered and ways of transformation are

seen through new camera angles. Throughout the entirety of this paper

the voices of the women who are central to this research are heard both

through snapshots of their day-to-day lives and through narratives of

their lived experiences. In the process of acknowledging their

multiplicities and decentering phallocentric discourses, pathways of

resistance, change and transformation in the form of practices becomes

evident.

Loading the camera and changing the focus

Rosi Braidotti (1994)

The quest for a point of exit from phallo-logocentric definitions of

"woman" requires a strategy of working through the images and

representations that the (masculine) knowing subject has created of

woman as other...In other words, "woman" is the anchoring point from

which, through strategically motivated repetitions, new definitions and

representations can emerge. It is an active process of becoming

(p.170).

This paper focuses on the multiple ways in which women principals in

Queensland secondary schools depart from phallo-logocentric definitions

of "woman" to new definitions while working in temporal and cultural

contexts that are resistant to discourses of gender equity. In the

process of acknowledging their multiplicities and decentering

phallocentric discourses, pathways of resistance, change and

transformation in the form of practices becomes evident. I chose the

title looking for girls in all of the wrong places because I am looking

for girls through a feminist lens. I am looking beyond their existence

and to how they are positioned, represented and critiqued in the

current context where there is a tendency for the evidence of girls

achievements in specific contexts to be taken as confirmation that all

gender problems have been solved.

Throughout this paper I will illustrate my concern with the devaluing

of gender equity in Queensland schools by exploring issues raised by

six women principals who are the focus of my doctoral research. The

perceptions and experiences of these women will be reflected through a

series of snapshots and narratives that detail the many positions and

discourses that they access: discourses which reflect moments of

resistance and acceptance as well as a commitment to transformation and

change. These snapshots will illustrate how and why the women within my

study work against dominant phallocentric discourses that operate

within these spaces. This need to recognise firstly that there is a

reason to resist; secondly that there are ways to resist and thirdly

that there are multiple forms this resistance can take. This theme of

multiplicity is something that Braidotti (1991) focuses on in her

development of a feminist philosophy as she states 'I will call it the

female feminist way: it consists of devising my own flying paths

through the multiple points of intersection that makeup the

discontinuous line' (p.14). This female feminist flight path is well

illustrated by women principals and the diversity of their

understandings of what it is to be a principal and what it now means to

be woman in times of resistance to gender reform. Therefore the

snapshots included within this paper will attempt to chart the, at

times discontinuous and yet intersecting lines of resistance that the

women in my study follow. These multiple lines and positions will

include examples of day-to-day conversations between their staff,

students and peers, their views on curriculum development, their

interaction within professional organisations along with the narratives

of their own personal lived experiences and subjectivities.

Centering women subjects: Framing my research focus

There are many ways to conceptualise the transformation process as

indicated above by one of the women that I interviewed to change

entrenched ideologies requires that you acknowledge the political

dimensions in the systems within which you are positioned. Therefore

through a lens of feminist post-structural theory my study explores the

lives, subjectivities and narratives constructed by six women secondary

principals within Education Queensland. The point of my study is that

it charts and celebrates multiplicity thus working against current

attempts to homogenise women and associated attempts to claim that the

"woman" problem has been solved. It is working towards the circulation

and validation of multiple ways of being a "woman" as this initial snap

shot reveals.

SNAP SHOT 1

You don't stand outside something to change it you have to do it from

within the system it might take longer and all of that but you don't

stand outside to change if you really think that changes need to be

made then you do it from within the system. What has lead me to become

a principal it is not the pay it is not the power because I don't think

that there is a hell of a lot of power in it. It is wanting to make

things better and being in a position in which you can do that at least

in a micro-world. You can't necessarily change the world outside of the

gates but you can do a lot about what is happening here and that is

what has spurred me on and I get a lot of satisfaction from that.

Therefore the theoretical framework of this study allows me to not only

analyse and acknowledge the transitory nature of the subjective

positions available to these women, but also to deconstruct the

institutions in which they function and the policy reform that they are

directed to implement. Subjectivity in this context is seen as

constructed at the intersection of multiple and competing discourses.

As a result there is no such thing as 'the' woman principal or as 'the'

path of resistance. Instead there are multiple ways of performing the

role of 'woman principal' and multiple paths of resistance (Rowan

1997). The snapshots illustrated throughout this paper provide points

of connection and points of distinction but are united by what they say

about the dominant culture and the need, value and possibility for

change.

Deconstructing the scene: Background and context...

Over the past five years there has been an extensive backlash against

gender equity projects and philosophies that focus on both the

educational outcomes for girls and the gendered career paths of women.

The most passionate of pleas coming in the form of arguments based on

the 'what about the boys' and the 'oh everything to do with gender

equity is fixed now' issues. Even though there are some legitimate

points to be found in these debates (particularly in regard to the need

for revisionings of 'masculinities'). There is a danger that the

debates will result in a dramatic and absolute shift completely away

from issues about girls and women in education, when everything is far

from 'fixed'. In a time where there seems to be an all-pervasive yet

subconscious set of discourses of resistance against gender equity it

is crucial from a feminist position to still be drawing the focus back

to issues about women.

These new discourses are strongly linked with Education Queensland's

new corporate identity and push for school based management in the form

of Leading Schools1. In such a context it is crucial that the

directives of equity are not pushed to the background in what can only

be described in phallocentric terms as a massive corporate and

managerial thrust. With every new incentive and aim that such changes

bring there seems to be an even larger step taken away from issues of

gender reform and equity. Slowly eroding are the discourses of equity,

equality and social justice and in their place are discourses of

governance, accountability, financial and personnel management.

Despite the constant push of counter-claims however these 'new times'

in education are still characterised by sex-based harassment, the

under-representation of girls in many traditionally male subjects and

of course the under-representation of women in leadership positions.

According to recent data from Education Queensland male teachers today

are nine times more likely to become principals than their female

colleagues are. Of all the principal positions held by women 71

per-cent are clustered within the lower bands of 4, 5 or 6. While only

29 per cent of these principal positions held by women are at bands 7,

8, 9, 10 or 11(Department of Education Queensland: EEO Annual Report

1995-96, p.15). Therefore in the context of declining institutionalised

government support for gender reform the role that school principals

play in initiating and sustaining reform processes is crucial.

Through a woman-centered lens: How women principals see their current context

What are the constraints and what do women do to find room to move

within those constraints?

The women within my study all at various points in interviews have

detailed a cultural and temporal context that is at times alien to them

and which is difficult for them to identify with and work in. The

geographical contexts in which these women are positioned needs to be

mentioned for they come from a range of locations, some rural some

metropolitan. Many of these areas are regarded as conservative with

limited support networks for women.

The following snapshots and narrative illustrate conceptions of how

these women see themselves in current political, social and cultural

contexts. One understanding of the problematic nature of context that

some women have is directly linked with changes in government and

political agendas for example.

SNAPSHOT 2:

Sometimes you just get so I guess down or disillusioned about the

culture that you just think I don't think that I can talk to some of my

younger female colleagues and to encourage them to do this. Just when

you are having a bad time you think how can I think in all honesty how

can I actually encourage people to do this and then when things are

going well you think this is really good and they should be using their

skills and their potential. The concern that some of us have as females

right now is the new culture caused by the change of government 18

months ago which seems to be working against women.

This snapshot reminds us of the importance of the feminist commitment

to the politics of location. Focusing attention to how women are

positioned politically, socially and culturally is vital in terms of an

ability to frame the need and possibility for resistance as a method of

indicating why positions of resistance within such contexts are

currently more problematic and confrontational. While some women make

direct links between school culture and political agendas others focus

on hierarchical management structures and phallocentric networks that

still seem to be functioning at some levels in educational contexts. To

illustrate this issue the following narrative outlines one woman's

negative experience with 'gendered bureaucratic procedure'.

Narrative one: On Leave

Lily the woman who is central to this narrative has dedicated her whole

life to teaching. Lily has occupied a diversity of positions within the

Education Department...all within schooling contexts. In light of the

Leading School conjecture at the beginning of the year and due to

personal issues Lily decided to take some leave half way through the

school year. Informing the department of her plans Lily was asked by

Rodney a local male colleague if he could take up an acting position in

her school in her absence, Lily agreed to this and spent time with him

outlining school procedure and plans for the coming semester. While

Lily was away Rodney with Departmental approval conducted a full

efficiency report on the school and sent his findings from the report

to head office. This report highlighted all of what he saw as the

schools' problem areas and put in a contingency plan on how he thought

the school could be run more effectively. Rodney had just assumed that

Lily must soon be ready to retire and that he would be the best "man"

for the job so he used his contacts in the department and attempted to

try and undermine her future legitimacy for the position. In light of

this scenario Lily was understandably upset and disappointed with an

institution that she had given so much too...currently Lily is in the

process of re-establishing her position within the school, and doing

all of the actual work that was over looked by the Rodney while he

wrote his report. Lily's staff were very supportive and loyal

throughout the whole ordeal.

What this narrative shows is the at times alienating context in which

these women are positioned and the dominant phallocentric discourses

which can naturalise a man's assumption about his right to a position

which are still prevalent within such institutions. With such strongly

entrenched networks it is easy to see why some women as in snapshot two

are disillusioned and see the educational system as currently 'working

against women'.

SNAPSHOT 3

We still have very few girls in Manual arts yet we have more boys who

are in those non-traditional subject areas. We get more boys in HE

(Health Education) and Catering than we do girls in Shop and I think

that is reflective of all schools. We have always had significant

girls in things like maths C and Physics but I guess this is not

completely representative for it is always the brightest girls who

attempt these subjects. If you look at the ordinary kids who have gone

into these subjects, and they have probably been advised to think about

this because of career choices then there are probably no average girls

trying these subjects. Yet there are always average boys who try them

and get sound achievements but it seems the only girls who go into

these subjects are the ones who know that they have the ability

The words of this woman are resonant of the sentiments of many of the

women that I interviewed. These women are aware that a number of issues

still need to be faced to reach equitable educational outcomes for

girls yet in a geographical and cultural space that devalues this

position it is difficult for them to act on this knowledge. The latest

gender reform policy does little to ease this concern. This new policy

was developed by the Gender Equity Taskforce for the Ministerial

Council for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs and is

titled Gender Equity: A Framework for Australian Schools. This is a

non-mandatory document that proposes broad areas for action which are

"suppose" to be taken up, in partnerships with parents and other

members of the school community. To date this framework has received

limited political support and many of the women that I spoke with were

unaware of its existence.

Therefore in a context that is very reluctant to focus on issues about

girls and women and a political climate that sees gender equity as a

past issue the marginal implementation of such a liberal approach to

gender reform has marked and ramifications for women at all levels in

education. So what the women principals in my study are experiencing

with regard to frustrations about gender reform are reflected in the

lack of support at departmental levels for future equity direction and

support. This paper will now start to explore methods and positions of

resistance that the women within my study have taken up.

Panoramic views or multiple pathways of resistance in daily practice

In light of some of the issues just raised about current educational

contexts and how these women conceptualise their positions in

accordance with the female feminist philosophy it is time to start

identifying those flight paths of resistance and to start signaling

those moves towards new ways of being. The six women who are the focus

of my study are far from homogenous. They all have differing views,

ideas and lived experiences although at this early stage of my data

analysis there are common themes of resistance, acceptance,

survivorship and transformation becoming evident in their daily

practice and where they positions themselves in relation to dominant

discourses of a Departmental and political nature.

In the 'act of going', of moving beyond the phallocentric boundaries of

the definitions of 'the' woman and 'the' principal the focus of my

research moves away from the limiting discourses of acceptance and

survivorship to more transformative discourses of resistance and

change. For these women are not just surviving or accepting they are

attempting to and succeeding in effecting great changes in multiple

ways and sites such as policy, culture and practice. These 'acts of

going' are points of intersection where flight-paths to resistance

become evident. As Grosz (1994) suggests:

Becomings are always specific movements, specific forms of motions and

rest, speed slowness, points and flows of intensity; they are always a

multiplicity, the movement or transformation from one "thing" to

another that in no way resembles it (p.173).

These 'acts of going' are something that is highlighted in the

following narrative that charts one woman's experience with a

digression from the perceived 'normal' career pathway for a teacher.

Narrative two: Challenging gendered career paths

During an initial interview with Rose a principal in a large school in

rural Queensland I asked her about her career and how she got to be

where she was at today. What Rose focused on was the resistance that

she had encountered in trying to obtain promotional moves in a 'less

conventional' way. Rose's career path differed from the standard

teaching format after graduating from university as a mature age

student she went straight into a position with Education Queensland

central office instead of into the classrooms. Rose worked here for a

number of years developing curriculum and policy before being placed in

a teaching position in a tough school in one of Brisbane's outer

suburbs. Because of her knowledge of departmental procedures and her

expertise in policy implementation the principal called on her to

assist him with various projects, this relationship caused some

speculation amongst other more established staff members. About two

years after her appointment and in conjunction with post-graduate study

and various other forms of professional development she applied for a

HOD (Head of Department) position. This application was met with much

anger by Steven a male college who had also applied for the job, he

claimed that Rose had not been teaching for long enough and that she

had never completed her country stint (all ideals of the 'traditional

masculinised' teaching career path). In conclusion Rose on merit was

awarded the position and Steven took legal action because he claimed

that it was reverse discrimination. It was an arduous and unnecessary

process for Rose to go through however after lengthy negotiations the

charge was dropped. As seen through Rose's current appointment her

career path although not 'traditional' has meant that she has

progressed very successfully through the educational ranks.

What this narrative shows is that women find ways to resist dominant

discourses which continue to position them as 'other' to some masculine

educational leadership 'norm'. Although these pathways are not always

easy roads to take the possibilities for change are significant.

Because Rose in the above narrative believed in her right to the

position and she chose to resist instead of to accept or merely survive

in this situation she moved out of the limiting definitions of 'the'

woman and 'the' principal. This is just one example of the possibility

for resistance. What needs to be acknowledged here is that there are

multiple points of resistance that creates space for multiple

subjectivities. As Wearing, (1996) states:

...a subjectivity which is not entirely governed by structures of male

domination. Each actor contracts her subjectivity at the interface of

discourses which may be contradictory, and in relationship to the

forces of power present in a particular site and at a particular point

in time (p. 37).

Within my study so far there have been multiple incidences where women

have chosen to address issues of gender equity within their schools

even when government policy suggests that they should focus on other

issues. These other areas of resistance that the women in my study have

accessed have included transforming the curriculum, timetable or

staffing and promotional procedures within a more gender equitable

frame. For example one woman in my study keeps numerical data on the

gender ratio of students using technological equipment, playground

space and sporting equipment as a measure to ensure that the focus

still remains on girls in these areas. While other women involve

themselves with staffing gender equity issues and become participants

in equity committees and women work-shadowing programs. The following

snapshot is from a joint interview with one of the women in my study

and her work shadow. It involves the work-shadow woman telling a story

about school culture responses to gender-based initiatives implemented

by the woman principal.

SNAP SHOT 4

I can remember at a seminar it must have been not long after I came to

this school for the first time and this lady come up to me and she must

have been a teacher from around here. She said to me do you know what

that woman principal has done she has let a woman have a senior maths

class. And I thought well good on her!

Some women principals strongly support a feminist philosophy and

involve themselves in political and social events such as the annual

'Reclaim the Night' March and International women's day. Others access

their feminist position in less obvious ways that illustrates how

pragmatism can be seen as a pathway to reform as the following snapshot

shows.

Snap Shot 5

Not overtly but yes if I were to put a label on my beliefs they would

be feminist. I guess in this kind of job it makes sense not to be

overtly feminist especially in a rural community such as this it would

create suspicion but yes my own personal belief is fairly feminist. I

have fairly strong views about the rights of women and girls to do what

it is that they want to do without restriction. So certainly students

on an individual basis are getting that message very strongly and I

guess on a group basis to a certain level.

This snapshot not only illustrates possibilities for resistance but

also confirms the 'conservative' nature of the contexts in which these

women are working. The reason that it 'makes sense' not to be openly

feminist is because of the phallocentric ideals and discourses that are

still strongly entrenched within these contexts. What this narrative

also outlines is the multiplicities in feminism, there is more than one

way to be a feminist.

New camera angles provide multiple points of intersection and

possibilities for change and transformation: How women conceptualise

the possibilities of alternative options

As has been outlined by deconstructing the hierarchical structures and

cultural beliefs that under-pin traditional definitions of 'the' woman

and 'the' principal spaces are created for women as agents of change,

to contest or challenge and more importantly to find multiple pathways

for re-definition within this spaces. The power of examining the

individual subjective positioning of women secondary principals in

conjunction with gender reform lies in the commonality between the two

issues. As Blackmore (1996) explains:

Gender reform is particularly difficult because it requires

self-reflection on one's own gender subjectivity and of long held

institutional, cultural and personal practices and beliefs. It is

about personal change. It is also closely tied up with power

relationships at home, school and work (p. 11).

The women within my study have identified a number of ways to effect

change and to transform the cultures in which they are located. Even

though they do not always identify with issues of resistance and

transformation they do acknowledge the need to work towards new

understandings of what it is to be a principal. Therefore one of the

advantages of looking at subjectivity through a post-structuralist lens

is that it allows for transitions and change to be recognized. As

Weedon (1987) says:

A post-structuralist position on subjectivity and consciousness

relativises the individuals' sense of herself by making it an effect of

discourse which is open to continuous redefinition and which is

constantly slipping (p. 106).

This fluidity of definition acknowledges the ability of women to

operate powerfully, to contradict gender norms and stereotypes by being

in a constant state of change and growth. Therefore by not framing the

slipperiness of identity as a problem to be solved or an obstacle to be

avoided, feminist post-structuralist regard the inability to fix our

identities and to be known through them in any definitive way as

powerful. As a way through which we can 'denaturalize' ourselves and

embrace change. Our sense of our femininity and ourselves may at times

be contradictory and precarious but only a conscious awareness of the

contradictory nature of subjectivity can introduce the possibility of

political choice. This is a choice between modes of femininity in

different situations and between the discourses in which they have

their meaning (Weedon: 1987, pp.107-110). This need to embrace change

and to identify the diversity in positions in which change is needed is

an issue that the following snapshot acknowledges.

SNAP SHOT 6

Yes I suppose so I sort of believe or I think that there is the vision

and there is the talk but there is also changing the culture and even

that won't necessarily work unless you find or try to get to the

workings of this system. You need some way to see just where you need

to focus your efforts. This is where you get the best results, because

otherwise if you are working against the system then it's not going to

change it. By changing the views of kids to and by acknowledging that

unless you change that belief system you won't change the rest...the

rest would be working against it. Unless you change the beliefs and

find ways of action that supports those beliefs then you are not going

to get change.

Flight paths of resistance and new ways of being are constantly being

taken-up even though the contexts in which they work are still situated

within a phallocentric frame. "To fly/steal," says Cixous, "is woman's

gesture, to steal into language to make it fly.... We have lived in a

flight/theft, stealing/flying, finding the close, concealed

ways-through of desire" (1986:p.96). What I suggest is that we fly

beyond defining what it is to be 'the' woman and 'the' principal. To

make new flight-paths within political, social and cultural contexts

that continue to perpetuate ideals of phallocentrism and 'ready-made'

subjects. As stated by Judith Butler (1990) in reference to the need

for a new view of identity and politics.

If identities were no longer fixed as the premises of a political

syllogism, and a politics no longer understood as a set of practices

derived from the alleged interests that belong to a set of ready-made

subjects, a new configuration of politics would surely emerge from the

ruins of the old (p.149).

What we need is to move towards a celebration of fluidity and

multiplicities in ways of being in order to illustrate future

possibilities for new flight paths of resistance and transformation and

new and multiple definitions of "the woman" and "the principal".

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1 Leading schools is a directive of Education Queensland that focuses

on devolving the decision making authority, responsibility and

accountability to the individual schools, there is currently a

trial-pilot program underway in a number of self appointed schools in

Qld. There is also a push for further information and technology

advancements and professional development and training.