Walk into almost any international school and you'll see women everywhere. They're leading classrooms, building relationships with families, coaching students through challenges, organizing events and creating the kind of learning environments that help children thrive. Yet when you step into many leadership meetings, the picture often looks quite different. For a profession largely powered by women, leadership positions in schools remain disproportionately occupied by men.
This reality isn't unique to international schools, but international education brings its own complexities. Moving across countries, adapting to new cultures, raising families abroad, navigating visas, and balancing professional ambitions with personal responsibilities can make leadership pathways especially complicated for women.
As an educator who has spent nearly two decades teaching internationally, I've often found myself wondering why so many talented women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. I've worked alongside remarkable female educators, innovative teachers, skilled mentors, and natural leaders who had the expertise and vision to lead schools but often faced obstacles that weren't immediately visible to others.
That question eventually became the focus of my doctoral research. Through interviews with women administrators at an international school in South Korea, I explored what helps women advance into leadership and what continues to hold them back. While every participant had her own story, common themes emerged that felt both deeply personal and surprisingly universal.
The Weight of Expectations
Many of the women I interviewed spoke about the invisible expectations they carried.
Some described being told they looked "too young" to lead. Others recalled receiving comments about their appearance, clothing, or family plans in situations where their male colleagues were evaluated solely on their professional abilities. Several spoke about the assumption that women would eventually choose family over career, regardless of their ambitions or accomplishments. One administrator shared that she often felt she had to work twice as hard to earn the same level of credibility as her male counterparts.
These experiences weren't always dramatic or overt. More often, they appeared as small moments that accumulated over time. A comment here, an assumption there, a missed opportunity that seemed difficult to explain. Individually, they might seem insignificant. Together, they shaped how women experienced leadership.
When the Path Forward Isn't Clear
Another common theme was uncertainty.
Many participants described leadership pathways that felt difficult to navigate. Hiring processes were often unclear. Promotion criteria were not always transparent. Mentorship opportunities frequently depended on personal connections rather than formal structures. Without visible roadmaps, aspiring leaders were left trying to figure things out on their own.
Several women spoke about how transformative it was when someone finally took the time to mentor them, answer questions, and help them see possibilities they hadn't considered for themselves. Sometimes all it took was one person saying, "You should apply." Sometimes it took someone saying, "You belong in that room." Those moments mattered.
The Leadership Challenge We Don't Talk About Enough
Perhaps the most powerful conversations centered on balancing leadership with life outside of school. International educators are often far from extended family support systems. For women with children, this can create additional pressures. Managing leadership responsibilities while coordinating childcare, school events, travel schedules, and family commitments can feel overwhelming.
One participant described the emotional challenge of returning from maternity leave while simultaneously trying to maintain professional momentum. Another reflected on how exhausting it was to constantly feel pulled in multiple directions. These stories weren't about a lack of ambition. They were about the reality that even the most capable leaders need support.
What Makes the Difference
Despite the challenges, every participant could point to people and systems that helped them succeed.
Mentors played a significant role. So did supportive supervisors who actively encouraged leadership development. Flexible policies, reliable childcare, and family-friendly practices made a meaningful difference for many women. These supports didn't simply make life easier. They made leadership possible.
Perhaps most importantly, participants emphasized the value of transparency. When schools clearly communicate how leadership positions are filled, what qualifications are required and how educators can prepare for future opportunities, leadership feels attainable rather than mysterious. People are more likely to pursue opportunities when they can actually see the path.
Creating Schools Where Leadership Is Possible for Everyone
The goal isn't to promote women because they are women. The goal is to ensure talented educators have equitable access to leadership opportunities. International schools often pride themselves on preparing students to become global citizens. We teach inclusion, equity, and respect for diverse perspectives. We encourage students to challenge stereotypes and imagine broader possibilities for their futures.
Our leadership structures should reflect those same values. That means creating mentorship opportunities. It means supporting working parents. It means examining hiring practices and promotion pathways. It means listening carefully to the experiences of women already serving in leadership roles. Most of all, it means recognizing that leadership potential exists throughout our schools. Sometimes it simply needs the opportunity to grow.
Looking Ahead
One of the greatest privileges of working in international education is witnessing the impact schools have on young people. Students notice who leads. They notice whose voices are heard. They notice whose ideas shape decisions.
When students see diverse leaders leading with confidence, compassion and competence, they gain a broader understanding of what leadership can look like. Every mentorship conversation, every transparent hiring process and every supportive policy sends a message, not only to educators but also to the students watching them.
Leadership is not reserved for a select few. It is something that can be nurtured, encouraged, and shared. And when international schools intentionally support women leaders, they create stronger schools, richer learning communities, and more hopeful possibilities for the next generation.
Dr. Denise Brohm is the Grade 4 English teacher and team lead at Silicon Valley International School. She is an experienced international educator with nearly two decades of teaching internationally. Holding a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, she is passionate about fostering inclusive, culturally rich classrooms and helping students and educators thrive in global learning environments. Denise is also deeply committed to health and exercise, believing in the importance of balance and wellness alongside professional and personal growth. Outside the classroom, she enjoys exploring new countries, cuisines, and communities and embraces the transformative power of international education to shape not just where we live, but who we become.
