Fostering Women’s Career Progression in Education: Inclusive Leadership as a Catalyst for Gender Equity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55544/ijrah.6.4.11Keywords:
Career Progression, Gender Equity, Inclusive Leadership, NEP 2020, Women EducatorsAbstract
Women constitute the majority of teaching workforce yet their representation thins sharply as move towards institutional leadership position, a pattern documented in Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+ 2023-24), All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE 2022-23) and United Nation Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 2023) is 53.3% are women school teachers and less than 7% of vice-chancellors are women. Drawing on a comprehensive review of empirical and theoretical literature this paper maps that women face structural and cultural barriers are: Gender stereotype and leadership expectation, cultural and relational barrier, work-family and well being, lack of mentorship and sponsorship in progression of career. This paper will further explores how inclusive leadership: behaviour that invites and appreciate the contributions of other team members regardless of their status can helps to overcome these barriers and support the career progression of women educators, with focuses on the provisions of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for the gender equity in organization. The discussion indicate that NEP 2020 provides the mandate for gender equitable governance, while inclusive leadership provides the everyday practices: equitable voice, accept and appreciate the decision, relational practices, invite to collaborate, psychologically safe environment through which those provisions can be effective in equity and career opportunities.
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