Abstract:

It is believed that negative perceptions about women's existence at the administrative positions in masculine societies are one of the reasons behind the fact that female administrators remain in the minority. The same situation is experienced in the number of women in school administration. Female teachers, who are outnumbered compared to men, are also represented in small numbers when it comes to school administration. The aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of female teachers, who are more in number, about female school administrators, who are less in number, through metaphors. This study is designed as metaphor analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the study consists of 123 public school female teachers from different cities, school types and branches who are teaching in the 2020-2021 academic year. The data are collected using a ‘Metaphor Form’ in which the sentence ‘A woman school administrator is like…, because …” is included. The data are analyzed using content analysis. The metaphors are grouped under three themes and seventeen sub-themes. Eight sub-themes are named as, Unconcerned, Confrontational, Altruistic, Distant, Positive Emotional Environment Builder, Negative Emotional Dominance, Inconsistent/Unpredictable under Emotional Characteristics theme; four as Organized, Knowledgeable/Supportive, Multitasker, Hardworking under Technical Specifications theme and five as Detailed/Meticulous, Authoritarian, Guide, Resilient, Demanding, Bureaucratic under Administrative theme. The results are discussed with previous research and suggestions are developed to improve women’ perceptions towards their positions in school management.

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