Women 'held back' in school careers

A study commissioned by the NASUWT teaching union concludes that women who aspire to lead schools are seeing their ambitions thwarted by a "glass ceiling".

Those who do make it into the top roles often feel they are "skating on thin ice", with their authority challenged.

The study by researchers at Manchester University, published yesterday, was based on a survey of 1,156 teachers and head teachers.

It found that less than 60 per cent of women were in senior leadership roles, compared with more than 70 per cent of men.

Although men had to apply more often before being called for an interview for a leadership post, male primary teachers were appointed to their first leadership role "at a considerably earlier stage in their career than women", it said. Taking a career break increased the time it took to secure a promotion, the study suggested.

Female headteachers who had taken a career break taught for an extra five years compared with those who had not taken a break.

About one in four (28 per cent) of women teachers said their career took priority over their partner's career, more than four in 10 (42 per cent) of men said their career took precedence.

The study concluded: "Women teachers are as ambitious as their male counterparts. However, women's career ambitions are mediated by 'glass walls' and 'glass ceilings' and women teachers report feeling that they are 'skating on thin ice' when they seek to advance or progress their careers.

"The barriers reported by women school leaders are a complex mix of cultural, social, psychological and systemic factors."