The under-representation of women in leadership positions in educational settings is a widely acknowledged, complex phenomenon that seems to persist, despite the fact that teaching as a profession is dominated by women. Over recent decades, scholars have investigated the factors contributing towards this under-representation, with a particular focus on the personal, organisational and social/cultural levels.

This volume has been compiled in honour of Marianne Coleman, Emeritus Reader in Educational Leadership and Management at the Institute of Education, University College London. She is widely regarded as one of the most significant scholars globally in the field of gender and educational leadership, forging the research agenda and mentoring some of the scholars who contribute essays here. Amongst the key questions the book asks are: Why does society continue to accept male leaders as the norm? What barriers do women who seek leadership positions face? What supports do women require in order to encourage them to pursue leadership positions? How do women working in leadership positions conceive of their role as leaders? How might women’s educational leadership be best supported at an institutional level?

Kay Fuller is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and course leader of the MA in Educational Leadership and Management at the School of Education, University of Nottingham. She is a member of the Centre for Research in Educational Leadership and Management (CRELM), an elected member of the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) Council and Co-Convenor of the BELMAS Gender and Leadership Research Interest Group, as well as an invited member of the worldwide network Women Leading Education. She has published internationally in the area of gender and educational leadership. Judith Harford is Professor of Education, Director of the Professional Master of Education (PME) and an elected member of the Academic Council at University College Dublin. She has published internationally on the history of women’s education, gender and educational leadership and teacher education policy. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Historical Society (London) and the Massachusetts Historical Society (USA) and an International Clinical Practice Fellow of the American Association of Teacher Educators. She is also the Ireland Canada University Foundation Flaherty Visiting Professor, 2017–18.