ABSTRACT

This chapter considers how some women primary and infant headteachers became career-ambitious in the sense of wanting to achieve promotion to management posts in schools. It also considers the various times in their teaching careers and the different stages in their personal lives that these women began to climb the promotional ladder that led eventually to headship posts and beyond. It is important to emphasize again that the achievement of promotion is not the hallmark of 'success' in the primary teaching career. For most married women, their personal responsibilities are of fundamental importance. Family responsibilities remained of fundamental importance. Women primary teachers who are looking for promotion are, therefore, likely to proceed more cautiously than some of their male colleagues. There are differences then between women primary teachers in the stages in their teaching careers and the points in their personal lives at which they begin to seek promotion.