Gender-Responsive Leadership and The Participation Of Female Teachers in Leadership Roles in Primary and Secondary Schools in Kenya

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Gender-Responsive School Leadership is essential for promoting gender equity and inclusivity in educational leadership. Despite Kenya’s progressive legal frameworks, such as the Two-Thirds Gender Rule and other gender equity policies, female teachers remain underrepresented in school leadership roles. This underrepresentation is attributed to socio-cultural stereotypes, institutional barriers, limited mentorship, weak policy advocacy, and discriminatory recruitment practices. This study adopted a Systematic Literature Review approach to examine how gender responsive leadership has impacted female teachers' participation in school leadership through gender policies advocacy, identification of challenges they face, and strategies for promoting equity. The findings revealed that while gender policies exist, their implementation is weak due to institutional resistance and persistent societal beliefs that associate leadership with masculinity. Female teachers often encounter work-life balance challenges, gendered career progression, and exclusion from professional mentorship networks, factors that collectively discourage or limit their access to leadership positions. To address these issues, the study recommends strategies such as policy advocacy, leadership training, structured mentorship programs, enforcement of gender policies, and institutional reforms. Additional proposals include developing gender-responsive recruitment processes, supporting professional development, and promoting a cultural shift towards inclusivity in leadership. Anchored in Transformational Leadership Theory, the study argues that visionary, inclusive, and empowering leadership is key to advancing gender equity. It concludes that increasing female participation in school leadership in Kenya requires systemic reform, effective policy implementation, and institutional support. These efforts are crucial to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which advocates for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.