Women as President in Jesuit Secondary and Pre-Secondary Schools: A Phenomenological Study of Pathways to and Experiences of Leadership

Abstract

This dissertation in practice examined the lived experience of leadership of women who have served as President of Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary schools. The aim of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to offer a tool to end gender disparity in executive leadership in Jesuit education for women who aspire to executive leadership and those who wish to support them. Structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 participants, and six of those participants agreed to participate in subsequent focus groups. Three themes emerged from the data: how women must recognize and overcome organizational issues in Jesuit schools, how they strategically use their interpersonal gifts and talents in the role of President, and how the experience of leadership builds on their personal attributes. These themes were further illuminated by the following subthemes: the model of one’s school, organizational change and support networks, being a woman in the Catholic Church, role models and mentoring, balancing family relationships with the job of President, leveraging relationships with one’s predecessor, Board of Trustees, and Jesuit Province, and personal attributes such as race/ethnicity, age, Catholic identity, and previous career experiences. Four evidence-based solutions are proposed for the following stakeholder groups that will better prepare and support women for leadership in Jesuit schools: women who aspire to leadership, Jesuits, staff of Jesuit Provinces and the Jesuit Schools Network, and Boards of Trustees and leaders of Jesuit schools.

Keywords: Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary education, women in leadership, phenomenology, organizational issues in leadership, Catholic identity, pathways to leadership