MOST male headteachers do not see themselves as macho leaders and aspire to caring, sharing management more usually associated with women. And they may be adopting more feminine traits to stay on top, writes Karen Thornton.
In a survey of almost 900 secondary heads, more men than women said they were caring - 84 per cent compared to 79 per cent, according to Marianne Coleman from London’s Institute of Education. Women felt they were more creative (63 compared to 54 per cent) and disciplined (60 to 51 per cent).
Dr Coleman asked 470 female and 412 male heads to highlight their qualities from a list of stereotypical male and female traits.
More than half of both sexes picked “feminine” qualities such as caring, intuitive, tolerant, creative and informal. A similar number said they had “masculine” qualities of being evaluative, disciplined, competitive and objective. But most aimed for a collaborative and people-oriented style, the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society heard.
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