Women principals and the concept of burnout: an alternative voice?

Abstract

This paper outlines the subjective constructions and interpretations of six Israeli women principals in mid-career of their experiences of burnout as they were inductively reflected in their life stories. Based on an inductive analysis of the women principals' life story interviews, the study revealed that women principals seem to interpret the concept of burnout in a different way from the common ‘androgynous’ definitions and constructions that have predominance in educational management. In particular, the women principals constructed their own burnout as a relative, non-polar phenomenon, and refused to perceive it as an absolute and total experience in their mid-career. They incorporated burnout and counter-burnout components in the life stories. The implications of utilizing their unique perceptions and attitudes to the study of burnout are discussed alongside broader implications for the study of the emotions in educational leadership.