Gender discrimination and coping mechanisms of black female managers in rural secondary schools

This study investigated gender discrimination and coping mechanisms of black female managers in four rural secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa using a case study. The overall aim of this study was to identify the extent of gender discrimination toward black female managers and to explore the gender order and gender regime that existed within the four schooling environments. This study also sought to explore the coping mechanisms that black female managers employed in the day-to-day execution of their duties and the effects that their experiences of gender discrimination had on their personal and professional lives. Men play an active role in shaping women’s identities and controlling their behaviour. It is important to understand how men negotiate their identity since they are active players in the construction of female identities. For this reason, this study incorporated both female and male voices since they both construct gender. Observations, face-to-face and focus group interviews with the school principals, deputy principals, departmental heads, educators and school governing body members were used to collect data. The findings revealed that the male educators subjected female managers to stereotyping, in the sense that they placed them in nurturing, submissive roles, whilst they viewed themselves as being more dominant and assertive. The male educators executed duties that were associated with power and status, while the female educators were tasked with lower status duties. The cultural acceptance of Zulu male dominance seemed to be entrenched in all four school environments. The study also found that female managers were subjected to explicit gender based violence by male educators. The male educators displayed violent attitudes and behaviours toward female managers in an array of ways when they faced humiliation or felt that their manhood was threatened. The female managers were also subjected to sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and verbal and physical maltreatment of a sexual nature. The female managers used solidarity, empowerment and assertiveness to cope with stereotyping. They drew on their maternal instincts and mechanisms of acceptance to cope with the sexual division of labour. They adopted the customary behaviour of respect (ukuhlonipha) to cope with discrimination relating to traditional beliefs. The coping mechanisms they used to deal with physical abuse and sexual harassment were acceptance, resignation and deeming this type of behaviour as common in all institutions. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher proposes that to combat gender discrimination against female educators; it is important for members of the community to be sensitised about the crucial role that female educators play in education. This will help parents, as governors of the school, to work in harmony with female school managers, without discrimination along gender lines, towards effective teaching and learning. The female educators in turn should also become actively involved in community activities to demonstrate their commitment, abilities and competence in leadership and management to all stakeholders and the broader community. There is a necessity to review unfair gender cultural practices and their dynamics to ensure that women are not disadvantaged in the workplace. However, it is also important to recognise that not all men or women are the same. While this study found that mainly male educators were the orchestrators of gender-based discrimination and violence, masculinity and femininity should not be seen as polar ends of a spectrum. It is necessary for gender identity to be formed in the dialogue between men and women. Interventions need to involve men and women to change attitudes and behaviours that would significantly decrease gender-based discrimination and incidents of gender-based violence.