PERAN GENDER DALAM KARAKTER KEPEMIMPINAN KEPALA SEKOLAH PEREMPUAN

Abstract

The leadership of female school principals is often associated with gender-based social constructions that shape perceptions of leadership character. In practice, however, female principals perform not only professional leadership roles but also productive, reproductive, and community roles simultaneously. This study aims to analyze the role of gender in shaping the leadership character of female school principals. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, involving five female principals from public elementary schools in Barebbo District, Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman, including data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that the leadership character of female school principals is characterized by responsibility, adaptability, interpersonal communication, collaboration, and democratic leadership. These characteristics are shaped through the experience of balancing productive, reproductive, and community roles, with each participant demonstrating different strategies for managing these roles. This study contributes to the advancement of gender-based educational leadership by integrating the Gender and Leadership perspective with the Gender and Development framework, demonstrating that the management of gender roles constitutes an essential factor in shaping the leadership character of female school principals.