Managing Further Education: Is it still men's work too?

Further Education Colleges in the UK are involved in a continuing period of radical organisational, curricular and financial restructuring. In the midst of this the gendered character of management across the sector appears to be changing. This article explores the extent of demographic, social and cultural feminization of management following the post-1993 establishment of colleges as independent corporations. It addresses issues surrounding organizational cultures, women in professions, women as managers and theories about the spread of so-called new managerial ideologies, inspired by the private sector, to the public sector. For support the article draws on two studies of women managers in FE colleges, one focusing on women with a commitment to feminisms or equal opportunities, the other utilizing organizational data as well as data from male and female interviewees. It is suggested that whilst some social and cultural as well as demographic feminization of FE management is taking place, this is much more marked at the middle management level whilst senior management remains more men's work than women's, albeit tinged with changing notions of masculinities.