ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine the level of effectiveness of Gender-Responsive Leadership Practices Among School Heads in the Secondary Schools in the Division of Albay Specifically, it sought answers to the following objectives: 1) Determine the profile of the School Heads in terms of: gender, age, civil status, Highest Educational Attainment, Position in the Department of Education, and length of service in DepEd; 2)Asses the level of gender-responsive leadership practices along Leading strategically, Managing school operations and resources, Focusing on teaching and learning, Developing self and others, Building connections, and Plus-Factors; 3)Appraise if there is a significant relationship between the gender-responsive leadership practices with the profile of the respondents.4)Propose a “GENDER - RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP (GRL)” Guide to address the problems in Leadership Practices of School heads in the secondary public school in Albay. Based on the research it is highly recommended that School Heads should be given a chance to develop their educational leadership practices by continuing their schooling. DepEd may provide training/seminars and other training development programs, DepEd may improve the Plantilla position and its guidelines in hiring teachers and school heads in DepEd and develop the guidelines in all the leadership Practices to reach the top level of Performance.
Keywords: Gender-responsive, leadership practices, Leadership Guide, descriptive -correlational method, Albay, Philippines
INTRODUCTION
Globally, as more countries realize how important leadership is in promoting diversity and establishing gender norms, the conversation about gender-responsive leadership approaches has picked up steam. International organizations that promote policies and practices that empower women and address gender-based disparities, such as the United Nations and UNESCO, have highlighted the significance of gender equality in leadership posts, Gender inequality persists in leadership positions (Gender Inequality Persists in Leadership Positions, 2018). Upholding the general principles and decisions enshrined in the Declaration on the Advancement of Women in the ASEAN Region and the Ha Noi Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare and Development of ASEAN Women and Children greater emphasis was placed on the role of women in government, business, and education (ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection… n.d.).
In the Philippines, the significance of gender-responsive leadership practices is increasingly acknowledged as exemplified in Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (FAQ: Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women - Philippine Commission on Women, 2023). School heads are the recognized leaders in schools they are entrusted with authority, responsibilities, and accountabilities in the success or failure of the institution. Their position is significant to the educational development academic growth and performance of the learners because the school heads are usually the major source and the driving force that upholds the welfare of the organization (Maqbool et al., 2023).
Quality leadership requires a strong character engrossed by self-certainty and trust for achievements. Pew Research Center (2015) indicates that women tend to internalize a second-class attitude that negatively affects their self-confidence. In essence, lack of confidence reflects unworthiness in top positions hence poor leadership image. The relative deprivation theory stipulates that women express satisfaction with little achievements as compared to men. For instance, a woman would be contented to work in the same rank as a man but with a lower income level than the male colleague. The character of women to accept less than men signifies low self-confidence and facilitates a poor reward system in appreciation of excellent leadership skills. Notably, the use of composure and leader emergence regression model helps in improving the leadership predictive abilities of an individual to fill a vacant position (Pew Research Center, 2018).
In this study the unique characteristics of the school heads in the division of Albay in terms of their profile and their performance in the Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR) shows they practice gender-responsive leadersahip functions taking into account not only local situations but also aligning with broader regional and global efforts towards gender equality in educational leadership. With this perspective the relevance of this study is linked within a larger context, making this more valuable for policy makers, educators and researchers at various levels.
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