Capabilities, Autonomy, and Well-Being: Exploring the Leadership Experiences of Female School Principals in Turkey

This study explores the professional autonomy and psychosocial well-being of female secondary school principals in Turkey through a qualitative phenomenological lens. Drawing on Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum’s Capability Approach and feminist organizational theory, the research examines how gendered structures and bureaucratic constraints shape women’s leadership experiences. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 principals across diverse regions, and the data were analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that women principals’ autonomy is significantly limited by centralized educational governance and patriarchal norms; however, they demonstrate agency through resilience, innovation, and collegial solidarity. Psychosocial well-being is closely tied to the extent of functional freedom principals experience within institutional contexts. The study highlights the need for gender-responsive and capability-oriented leadership frameworks that empower women’s decision-making and promote sustainable well-being in educational settings. These insights contribute to global discussions on gender equity, autonomy, and the transformation of leadership practices in education. This study contributes to international leadership and gender research by integrating feminist organizational theory with the Capability Approach.