Disruptive Women: A WomenEd Guide to Equitable Action in Education

Joyously, Vivienne Porritt OBE is a co-founder, trustee and Global Strategic Leader of WomenEd, a global charity which empowers and elevates aspiring and existing women leaders in education. As a leadership consultant, Vivienne supports school and trust leaders with vision, strategy, professional learning and development, impact evaluation and DEIJ and she is also a coach and holds several governance roles. Vivienne is a former secondary headteacher and Vice President of the Chartered College of Teaching as well as Director for School Partnerships at University College London, Institute of Education. She writes for practitioner and academic journals and is co-editor of 10% Braver: Inspiring Women to Lead Education (Sage, 2019) and Being 10% Braver (Sage/Corwin, 2021). Lisa Hannay is an Assistant Principal in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Lisa's WomenEd journey began at a conference many years ago when she attended two WomenEd sessions. There was a palpable energy that was uplifting and empowering. Lisa discovered that the mission and values of WomenEd aligned beautifully with her own desire to create disruption and to challenge the status quo. Lisa wrote a chapter for the second WomenEd book, Being 10% Braver, and has contributed to articles spotlighting women in leadership along with Vivienne Porritt. Lisa is one of the trustees and Global Strategic Leaders for WomenEd and gets up every morning to cause a little good trouble. My journey in education began back in 2006, when I eagerly stepped into the bustling halls of inner-city London schools. I immersed myself in the dynamic landscape of education, refining my skills and nurturing a deep passion for learning. In 2014, fuelled by a desire for new experiences and challenges, I made the bold decision to embark on an international adventure. With my family by my side, we embarked on a journey that led us to Oman, where I continued my career in education within a global context by 2020 during the height of the pandemic my journey took me to Qatar where I am now based. As I navigated the intricacies of international education, I found myself drawn to a new mission: supporting and empowering women in leadership roles. Over the years, my firsthand experiences have highlighted the barriers that women often face on their leadership journey. Driven by a dedication to equality and progress, I have committed myself to breaking down these barriers and championing the advancement of women in the field. Through mentorship, advocacy, and a relentless pursuit of change, I strive to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for all aspiring female leaders in education as a trustee and Global Strategic Leader for WomenEd.

Part 1: Increasing the representation of women in leadership - Lisa Hannay Chapter 1 Time to use our superpowers - Amy Bowdler Chapter 2 Powerful stories - Bianca Greenhalgh Chapter 3 Harnessing the power of professional learning networks - Jessica Mahdavi-Gladwell Chapter 4 Imposter syndrome: quietening the voices in our heads - Jess Gosling Chapter 5 Networking to develop and innovate - Nasima Riazat Chapter 6 Disrupting social norms: the Dream Gap Project - Kiran Satti Case Study 1 Confronting unconscious bias - Rebecca Hoyes Part 2: Breaking barriers: diverse women in educational leadership - Natasha Hilton Chapter 7 The diversity gap: what is the current state of play in education? - Parm Plummer Chapter 8 Take your seat at the table! - Haley Yearwood Chapter 9 How diverse is it 'really'? The data linked to leadership in schools - Miriam Hussain Chapter 10 Letting go of imposter syndrome: writing herstory - Loretta Fernando-Smith and Angeline Aow Chapter 11 A different kind of brain: what are the benefits and barriers of neurodivergent women in leadership? - Yasmine Baker Chapter 12 Diverse leadership: if you can't see it, be it! - Azuraye Williams Chapter 13 How do we level the playing field? - Radha Badhan Case Study 2 Fitting into the mould: do you have to change who you are? - Joyce I-Hui Chen Case Study 3 The F Word: Failure - Angela Schofield Part 3: Disrupting the gender pay gap for women leaders - Vivienne Porritt Chapter 14 Systemic sexism: the global gender pay gap - Liz Free Chapter 15 Disrupting the gender pay gap: empowering female middle leaders to progress into senior leadership - Katrina Kerry Chapter 16 Negotiating salaries - Jenetta Hurst Chapter 17 Why isn't my gender pay gap improving? - Sue Prickett Chapter 18 Mind the gap? Yes, so let's do something about it! - Abigail Mann Case Study 4 The gender pay gap in a higher education organisation - Stephani Dupree Case Study 5 Disrupt the gender pay gap: know your worth - Jess Gosling Part 4: Flexible working: culture change required - Vivienne Porritt Chapter 19 Flexible working: a sustainable solution? - Ruth Astley Chapter 20 The future of flexible working - the impact of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill - Lindsay Patience Chapter 21 Miscarriage is not a dirty word: why we should normalise talking about baby loss - Esther Mustamu-Daniels Chapter 22 Finding opportunities and freedom through flexible working - Helen Young Chapter 23 Is there a parental penalty in education? - Hannah Duncan Chapter 24 Making more of menopause - Derry Richardson Chapter 25 Menopause and flexible working: starting conversations - Suzanne Brown and Katy Marsh-Davies Chapter 26 What's your problem with flexible working? - Wendy Cobb and Kerry Jordan-Daus Case Study 6 Negotiating flexible working: upholding your principles - Maggie Eldridge-Mrotzek Case Study 7 The big wheel of flexible working - Aimee Quickfall Case Study 8 Including women - Maz Foucher