Journal of K-12 Educational Research 13 century, the labyrinth faces the altar (Morrison, 2012). Members of a congregation and monks walked this pavement labyrinth for contemplation of how Christ is the path to salvation (Knox, 2020). Scholars reported one of the labyrinth’s purpose serves as a symbol of a human’s journey from sin to redemption (Morrison, 2012). Figure 1 shows the Chartres Cathedral path. Barriers and Challenges Studies report that women face two types of barriers when pursuing educational leadership positions: external and internal (Kowalski & Stouder, 1999; McGee, 2010; Shakeshaft, 1989). Women faced more exterior, visible barriers in the past, but today they face more internal, invisible barriers (Derrington & Sharratt, 2009a; 2009b; Kowalski & Stouder, 1999). Women have been directed into societal roles through years of socialization, which has led to internal barriers (Garn & Brown, 2008; Superville, 2017). Internal barriers are less likely to be visible. On the other hand, supports exist to assist women in overcoming the barriers. Figure 1 The Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth Note. From The Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth FAQ’s. Labyrinthos Archive by J. Saward, 2017. positions (Snyder & Dillow, 2012). While gains have been made in the number of women serving as superintendent, more gains should be made. Metaphors and the Labyrinth A metaphor elucidates the “meaning of intangible things by comparing them to tangible things” and conveys order from chaos (Brunner, 2000, p. 5). Metaphors have been coined for the disproportion of women serving in top leadership positions: glass ceiling (Hymowitz & Schellhardt, 1986), glass cliff (Ryan et al., 2016), glass escalator (Williams, 1992), concrete ceiling (Norman et al., 2018), and glass obstacle course (De Welde & Laursen, 2011). Other metaphors exist that do not center around glass: the labyrinth, the jungle gym, the motherhood penalty, and the maternal wall. The metaphors listed describe barriers women face when vying for advancement. A metaphor growing in popularity and modernized for today’s work culture is the labyrinth. In Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, Eagly and Carli (2007) suggested that the labyrinth, which more appropriately represents today’s more complex and circuitous career paths for women, should replace the outdated glass ceiling. The need for the new term shows that the path to high-level leadership for women follows a winding course and requires them to understand the intricacies of the career path puzzle. Morgan (2008) purported the labyrinth metaphor encourages women because the inside of the labyrinth, even with its tortuous path, reveals a visible and attainable goal. Eagly and Carli (2007, 2009) credited women with the ability to see the barriers they face in today’s work environment and the ability to overcome them. Davis (2010) studied women superintendents in North Carolina and discovered her participants strategically navigated their way through a labyrinth to achieve their career aspirations. When they encountered detours, they utilized strategies to successfully continue their journey to their desired destination. Today, pilgrims travel to experience a popular labyrinth, the Chartres Labyrinth (Saward, 2017). Built in France in the Chartres Cathedral during approximately the 13th
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODc4ODgx