Challenges Facing Female Teachers as Leaders in Nigerian Public Secondary Schools: A Systematic Narrative of Literature

Abstract

The study examined the challenges facing female teachers in becoming leaders in Nigeria. The primary purpose was to investigate how much women participate in tertiary education in Nigeria as leaders, secondly, the barriers to women’s career progress in secondary school leadership in Nigeria, and thirdly, to determine the methods and, or policies that can be employed to end the underrepresentation of women in positions of leadership in Nigeria's secondary schools. The review of systematic narrative of literature was adopted. The findings revealed that there were societal solutions, organisational solutions, as well as the implications for principals and government. For the societal solutions, the past two to three decades have witnessed increased but not sufficient enrolment of the women population in secondary school education. However, a closer analysis of secondary education statistics reveals the different nature of the problem in different historical and cultural contexts. Women have to navigate cultural conventions and beliefs, in order to develop their own leadership styles and seek professions in education. The attitudes of the instructors and community people toward women in leadership were progressively altered by these women leaders as well. A number of cultural barriers still exist in Nigerian society as explored in findings-one, which seriously impedes women’s development as citizens and professionals, especially within secondary school education. For Organisational solutions, the prevalence of instructional leadership promotes male-dominated autocratic leadership styles which are not inclusive of diversity, such as gender differences. Principals will need to consider developing women leaders to modify instructional leadership and bring about something closer to a distributed leadership style which brings out the best in male and female leaders. The study concluded that principals in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa must have a thorough awareness of the socioeconomic and cultural problems that pose obstacles to women's advancement in leadership. This awareness is necessary for teachers to promote equality.