Women teachers: career identity and perceptions of family constraints ‐‐ changes over a recent decade

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine recent changes in women schoolteachers’ professional ambitions, and a corresponding growth in their awareness of the constraints upon them of family‐based domestic responsibilities. Together these factors are seen to constitute a strengthening of women's career identity. The paper is based on two local surveys of representatives of NUT and NAS/UWT, the teacher trade unions, carried out in 1978 and 1987. These are analysed in context of local observational research.

The main areas of inquiry were: aims and expectations for reaching the three top posts in schools; constraints on aims and expectations; attitudes towards moving locality in order to obtain promotion; and the way domestic and financial responsibilities were shared between spouses or partners. Teachers were asked about both their personal experience and how ‘being a woman’ influenced women teachers.

Women's and men's responses were compared, and, in certain instances responses were further broken down by NUT and NAS/UWT membership. Comparisons were made of responses for 1978 and 1987, and of changes which had taken place between the two dates. Changes were documented in aims and expectations, in perceptions of constraints, and in intentions and practice in sharing domestic and financial responsibilities.

The survey findings show women's aims and expectations to have increased and men's to have decreased. Women appear to have become more aware of sexism as blighting their careers. However, the proportion of men who saw sexism as disadvantaging women had decreased rather than increased. There were variations between the two unions. These findings are assessed in context of local and national developments. The women's movement is seen as strengthening women teachers’ career identity. Anti‐sexist initiatives in the NUT, the biggest teacher trade union, had a similar effect. So had a policy of positive affirmation pursued by the local education authority, especially during a local reorganization of schools. Men's reaction to and resentment of this policy may explain their continuing failure to appreciate the handicap to women of family responsibilities. The most marked feature of the period, however, was probably government‐imposed constraints on educational spending which brought an end to educational expansion and made promoted posts hard to find. This accounts for the decrease in men's ambition but makes the increase in women's more remarkable.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheila Cunnison

Sheila Cunnison is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Social and Professional Studies, University of Humberside.