Contributing factors to gender disparity in upper-administrative levels of public secondary school: a multiple-case study in an urban area in China

While the advocacy of gender equality is growing and women are continuously showing up in leadership positions, women are underrepresented and underutilized as leaders in educational leadership, especially in upper-administrative levels. The purpose of this study is to explore the contributing factors to gender disparity in upper-administrative levels of public secondary schools in urban China. A qualitative multiple-case study research design was adopted to investigate the deep and complex reasons behind this phenomenon (gender disparity in senior education management) and capture the differences between each participant. Intentional sampling and convenience sampling were used in this study. Intentional sampling was used to sample principals, and convenience sampling for selecting the aspiring female educators. A total of four participants have reported their career experiences, their leadership practices, and their life experiences through semi-structured interviews. Results of the collected data indicate that various contributing factors under four themes (i.e. gender stereotype and social expectation, conflict between work and family, opportunities to access the leadership positions, self-imposed limitations and unwillingness to take the leadership roles) play a role in manifesting the disparity across gender in the upper-administrative levels of education in public secondary school in China.