Women Leaders in the Education Sector

Abstract

Teaching has long been viewed as one of the most respected professions in Korea. It is also regarded as an ideal occupation for women as it affords the professional responsibility of nurturing student development that aligns well with the traditional duties of women/mothers advocated by Confucianism, the dominant cultural ideology of Korean society. As a result, there are more women than men working in K-12 schools, yet the proportion of women faculty in higher education and women in leadership across all levels of school is still surprisingly small. In Chap. 11 we summarize the important facets of women and women leaders in education including background, history, and current statistics of women leaders in education, women leaders’ challenges and lived experiences and opportunities for women leaders’ career success in the education sector, and suggestions for future research.