The gendered dimensions of principals’ emotional labour: suppression, self-doubt and self-blame

Research in Australia and globally highlights the emotional complexity and intensity of school leadership as principals navigate the demands of supporting students, staff, parents, and system requirements. This paper presents data from a qualitative survey that was part of a broader Australian study on principals’ emotional labour. It examines testimonials gathered from 40 public school principals (20 women, 20 men) about their response to an emotionally intense critical incident they experienced in their leadership role. The analysis draws attention to shared patterns among the women and men of emotional suppression in times of stress but highlights a key area of gendered differentiation in the women’s greater tendency to express self-doubt and self-blame in such times. The paper argues for greater policy and practice recognition of the gendered dimensions of emotional labour in school leadership.