Shifting Gender Dynamics in Postcolonial Lesotho: The Lived Experiences of Some Female Secondary School Principals

This chapter explores the challenges of some of the Lesotho female school principals in managing the schools and their coping mechanisms. The chapter departed from a narrativism paradigm and a qualitative approach was followed. Theoretical triangulation was adopted by drawing from both the postcolonial critique and critical theory. These theoretical lenses enable the unpacking of stereotypes in all their forms which negatively affect female school leaders. Eight (8) female principals conveniently selected from some Lesotho secondary schools were interviewed. The findings confirmed that female principals are confronted with several challenges, which include power struggle, learner’s indiscipline, feeling inferior and sexual harassment. The findings further revealed that some of the female principals cope by seeking training, initiating community awareness campaigns, enforcing educational laws, peer support initiatives, continuous spot-checking and involving law enforcement personnel as well as the community. The main recommendation made in this chapter is that all stakeholders and Ministries should work together in debunking the existing pre-colonial gender stereotypes so that every citizen could freely contribute to societal development.