Few women leaders in education a serious concern, says global report
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New Delhi: 'Most teachers are women, but few lead' is the central message of the 'Leadership in Education: Lead For Learning' section of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2024-25, released on Wednesday night by
UNESCO
.
The report highlights what is a problem across countries: the under-representation of women in leadership positions at all levels of the education system — from schools to education ministries.
Globally, women make up 57% of secondary school teachers, but in most countries, the proportion of female principals lags the share of female teachers by at least 20 percentage points. This disparity exists despite growing evidence that gender-diverse leadership correlates with better learning outcomes and more enabling school environment.
Similar is the story at the higher education level. While women comprise 45% of higher education faculty, they account for only 30% of leadership roles in universities and colleges.
India is no exception to this phenomenon. While women dominate the teaching workforce in primary schools, accounting for over 60% of elementary teachers, their number declines sharply in leadership positions, particularly at the secondary and tertiary levels.
Factors such as limited access to mentorship, lack of institutional support, safety concerns, and deep-rooted gender norms continue to restrict women's elevation to decision-making roles.
The report also examines political leadership in the education sector. Between 2010 and 2023, only 27% of education ministers worldwide were women. This imbalance matters not only for representation purposes but also for policy priorities.
Studies cited in the GEM report suggest that female political leaders are more likely to bat for equitable education funding, inclusive curricula, and community engagement.
Countries with specific policies to promote gender equity in school leadership are clearly in the minority. Only 11% of countries globally have taken concrete steps to address the gender gap in principal recruitment. Some regions are taking proactive measures — for instance, several francophone African countries are piloting support programmes for female school leaders.
The report says that students in such settings, with more schools led by women, were ahead in progress in mathematics and reading by at least six months compared to their peers in male-led schools.
It calls for systemic reforms that move beyond token representation. Among the report's recommendations are transparent and gender-sensitive recruitment for leadership roles, targeted training and mentoring programmes for aspiring women leaders, and policies that enable flexible work arrangements and childcare support.
As countries work towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of inclusive and equitable quality education, educational leadership must reflect the diversity of those it serves. Unless gender barriers in leadership are removed, progress in other aspects of educational equity may remain incomplete, the report has stressed.
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