Breaking Barriers in Education

Women, Work-Life Balance, and Societal Shifts

Arceli Rosario, Francis Thaise A. Cimene

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9798216460954
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Leadership in Education

Breaking Barriers in Education: Women, Work-Life Balance, and Societal Shifts is a compelling exploration of women's enduring struggle for equity and recognition in a rapidly changing world. As societal norms and cultural expectations continue to evolve, this book illuminates the complex realities women face in leadership, education, community engagement, and personal life.

Through diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives, the book captures women's voices in academic leadership, examines intersections of gender, class, and caste in higher education, and reflects on culturally grounded models of leadership during uncertain times. It also honors historical legacies-such as the Babaylan in Filipino culture-while addressing contemporary challenges, including work-life balance, motherhood and scholarship, resilience amid societal pressures, and the reframing of conversations on harassment and resistance.

By weaving narratives of struggle, strength, and transformation, this collection highlights both the progress achieved and the structural inequities that persist. Designed for scholars, educators, policymakers, and advocates of gender equity, Breaking Barriers in Education serves as both reflection and call to action-affirming that breaking barriers is an ongoing journey sustained by courage, solidarity, and hope.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I: Women in Educational Leadership
• Chapter 1: Voices of Resistance: How Women Educational Leaders Empower Each Other
• Chapter 2: Exploring Transformational Leadership in the Lives of Underrepresented Women Head Teachers
• Chapter 3: Culturally Relevant Educational Leadership During Times of Uncertainty: Perspectives of Women Leaders
• Chapter 4: 63 Up: Gender-Based Violence and Leadership in Higher Education
• Part II: Status of Women in Society
• Chapter 5: Social Roles and the Trajectory of Women in the Superintendency
• Chapter 6: Women’s Leadership in Pakistani Higher Education: Intersecting Discourses on Gender, Class, and Caste
• Chapter 7: Navigating American Cultural Norms as Ahmadi Muslim Immigrant Women
• Chapter 8: Revisiting the Sacred Feminine: The Legacies of the Babaylan in Filipino Culture and History
• Chapter 9: The Portrait of Widow Educators: The Triumphant Warriors
• Chapter 10: Starting with Ourselves: Reflections on Community Antiracism Reading and Discussion Groups
• Chapter 11: “I Wouldn’t Go as Far as Calling It Harassment”: Pakistani Women Academics’ Discourses Around Harassment
• Part III: Work-Life Interface for Women
• Chapter 12: Unraveling the Case of Filipino Academic Mothers: Balancing Motherhood and Doctoral Studies
• Chapter 13: Becoming a Resilient Woman: The Lived Experiences of Language Teachers in a Multigrade Indigenous Classroom
• References
• About the Authors
• Index