Women and Mental Health in Education and Leadership

Healthy women are the cornerstone of society, families and the workplace. As such, they form the foundation for prosperity for humanity. However, women’s poor mental health could overturn these gains for all concerned. Evidence suggests that public policy, including economic policy, socio-cultural and environmental factors, community and social support, stressors and life events, personal behavior and skills, education, and availability and access to health services, are all seen as playing a role in shaping women’s mental health status. Mental health and wellbeing are experienced differently by the different genders. Social and economic factors can place women at greater risk of poor mental health over men. However, women generally find it easier to talk about their feelings and have stronger social networks, both of which can help protect their mental health and maintain their functioning to some extent, often to the detriment of their health and wellbeing. As natural carers, women (up to one in five) experience common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety which leads to further stress and isolation, resulting in long-term effects on their mental health and wellbeing. There is sadly a great cost to gender equality and in(ex)clusion in education, which starts as early as childhood for girls and follows them through school (if they are lucky enough to attend) and later the workplace or home. For many African girls and women, access to education remains a hopeful dream. Failed gender parity in education violates women’s human rights because education is a powerful tool for women’s empowerment and mental health.

This edition of Frontiers aims to address the mental health issues related to education and leadership that women experienced, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women in education, be it as educator or student, are no different to the general public. They experience stress amidst increased social pressure to be the carers and often frontline workers during disruptive times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators and students were moved to practice positions to fill the need for healthcare resources. Additional stressors were added to comply with the changed roles and increased need to upskill or refresh clinical skills.

Women in leadership positions provide an extraordinary prospect to shift the narrative around gender and mental health. For this to be realized, women must prioritize their mental health. Mental health is a vital leadership skill for the prosperity and success of any organization or profession. With the change in hybrid working conditions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, managing teams that are dispersed (often globally), the mental load of non-tangible tasks such as managing households and the workplace and increased technological demands (referred to as technostress), we can observe how the mental health in women leaders are breaking down. A healthy workplace that places value on the mental health of women leaders is the first step to a healthy society.

Research related to practices specifically focused on the role of women in education and leadership, is welcomed. Articles must adhere to the criteria of a scientific research article. Only articles with clear methodology will be considered. Reflective papers and review articles will be considered where the unique contribution is specific to practice improvement.