Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership: Much Ado About Something!

Who is an effective leader? has been a question posed by scholars, educators and practitioners of leadership for centuries. Historically, leadership positions, as well as research on leadership and effective leadership, was primarily reserved for men or masculine characteristics With most societies traditionally following a patriarchal hierarchy, few people questioned inequalities in leadership attainment, largely because of supernatural and/or natural explanations of men’s natural ability and desire to lead. This book runs counter to that culture and examines the experiences and leadership enactments of ten historically famous women leaders in hopes of gaining insight into their uniquely female leadership styles. The ten leaders include Catherine the Great, Jane Addams, Queen Victoria, Marie Montessori, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Mother Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Pat Summit, and Hillary Clinton. The idea, of course, is to reflect upon these great women’s leadership styles in order to inform one’s own leadership behavior.