In Praise of ‘Seasoned’ Women Leaders: Lessons from the Whales

What can certain species of whales tell us about the virtues of hiring post-menopausal women as school leaders?

(Todd Cravens, photographer, courtesy of Unsplash)

“I’m 62,” my new coaching client, a highly experienced school leader, told me, with a mix of assertiveness and defensiveness. “I’m ready to move on from my current situation, but I’ve still got another adventure in me.”

Left unsaid, though lingering in the ether: I’m not over-the-hill, out-of-touch, no longer relevant, ready to pack it in. I have decades of experience, plenty of energy and passion, fewer commitments and limiting factors, and I want to keep leading schools. But I’m afraid the opportunities available to me are slim.

Looking at the visuals out there, that’s not an unwarranted expectation. International school leaders above the age of 60 are in the minority. Particularly female leaders. This seems confounding on the surface. Why would schools lose interest in hiring leaders with years of experience, qualifications and credentials, in arguably the best period of their professional lives when family commitments have shifted and they can bring that experience and qualifications to bear with ever more focus and confidence?

Yes, it’s true that some countries impose age restrictions for expatriates seeking work visas. And still. In plenty of cases it is a school-based restriction, either explicit or implicit. It’s hard to track down the reasons, though it’s likely a combination of assumptions: That once you’re 60 + you’re over-the-hill, out-of-touch, no longer relevant, less energetic. Or perhaps you’re too expensive. Or perhaps you’re less manipulatable than your younger counterparts.

Especially if you’re a woman. Once women hit the menopause years, society tends to write them off as having nothing left to give.

“What does this have to do with whales?” I hear you ask.

A coaching client sent me this recent article from the Washington Post, a report on new research exploring why certain species of whales undergo menopause, an evolutionary phenomenon that is limited to only a handful of mammals, including humans, some whale species, and some chimpanzee species. What’s the evolutionary purpose of menopause, one can undoubtedly wonder, when it signals the end of species propagation?

It turns out that those whale mammal species that undergo menopause live a lot longer than their non-menopausal counterparts. Living longer doesn’t make them parasites on their whale communities. Indeed, because they are no longer of offspring-bearing age, they are freed up to focus their years of experience and the wisdom that comes with this on the continued care, nurturing, and progression of their entire communities.

If whale communities have figured out that their post-menopausal females are such assets, well, so can international school communities.

Through my years as a recruiter of, and coach for, leaders in international schools, I can claim with utmost confidence that there are plenty of (post-menopausal) whales in the sea from whom schools looking for their next leaders can choose, and who will serve their school communities well for years to come. Not only are they highly experienced and full of wisdom, they are 1) unencumbered by offspring that can detract from their focus, 2) they present a less expensive financial investment since they don’t have ‘dependents’ that require tuition and other benefits (though they deserve a full and fair compensation package that recognizes their value), 3) they are often very well networked with other school leaders, to whom they can turn for support as appropriate, 4) they tend to bring the social-emotional lens to their leadership, which schools these days are so clearly needing, 5) they are less inclined to ‘prove themselves’ and more inclined to mentor and develop their younger, less experienced colleagues.

Schools – I rest my case.

Post-menopausal whales, aka ‘seasoned’ women leaders who have lived life for more than 60 years or are approaching this phase (and by the way, that’s me too!) – let’s figure out together how to embrace our magnificent whale stature and become reigning (grand-) monarchs in a sea that could really use us right now.

Yours in celebrating the wonders of evolution,

Bridget