South African Indian female principals in the Gauteng province

ABSTRACT

Gender equity among South African principals remains a compelling issue for research. While post-apartheid governmental policies address gender equality, women continue to experience discrimination in the field. A theory of intersectionality was used to examine three Indian South African women’s leadership experiences. The focus was to investigate how the women negotiated obstacles in their work. The project involved semi-structured interviews, and the results yielded a contribution to the small body of literature employing intersectionality theory as well as the research around female principals experiences in South Africa. The findings revealed the impact intersections of gender, class and race had on the women within environments of domination and discrimination among family and their colleagues at work. Themes of family values, class, and Indian culture illustrated how powerful cultural and societal practices continue to promote patriarchal perceptions. Women as leaders were questioned, as the women experienced discrimination, stereotyping, and emotional abuse within family and work environments. In their efforts to overcome barriers to the principalship, the women relied on their leadership styles to promote relational ‘power with’ models of leadership.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).