School leadership, sex and gender: welcome to difference

Abstract

The biological basis for differences between the sexes has become increasingly clear in recent years. The nature–nurture debate has made way for the view that the individual is a product of the interaction between genes and environment. For the world of school leadership this means that instead of arguing about them, we should acknowledge the differences between female and male leadership and turn the differences to our advantage with respect to the effectiveness of school leadership. This is becoming all the more necessary now that the principal’s job is progressively becoming more complicated. Men and women working together have a wider range of alternative strategies at their disposal than either acting alone, creating a case for mixed teams. A mix of masculine and feminine elements in school management leads to a broader repertoire of behaviour and consequently to more flexible action.