Female school leadership against structural odds: School heads’ professional experiences in Pakistan

This qualitative study explored socio-structural challenges in the professional lives of female school heads leading in elementary and secondary schools in the north of Pakistan. The study was conducted in two major cities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Peshawar and Mardan. Fifteen female school heads were interviewed, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Their narratives were focused on challenges they faced in their leadership roles and the practices and strategies they adopted to deal with those challenges. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed several challenges, including female school heads’ struggle against gender-based socio-cultural power structuring, political interference, administrative constraints, and disciplinary issues. Despite these challenges, there was a sense of determination among the women school heads not to get overwhelmed and to make use of their talents and spirits to counter such odds. Their response was marked by courage and resilience, a spirit of optimism, self-confidence, and service to the community around.