Factors Influencing Women’s Representation in Leadership Positions: In Case of Ensaro Woreda Public Service Sectors, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Bizualem Lemma Ketema

doi:10.7176/jcsd/60-02

Abstract

The issue of women on management position is gaining attention globally. Governments signed major human right treaties including the most important women’s conventions to improve women’s participation in management positions. Even though the government’s effort to provide equal opportunities for women and design non-discriminatory policies, the existences of glass ceiling practices undermine their progress. The objective of the study was examining factors influencing women representation in leadership positions in Ensaro woreda public sectors. To achieve the objective of the study 203 representative samples have taken trough proportionate stratified sampling method. And a series of statistical analysis have done. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the existing situation of women’s representation of leadership in the public sectors, whereas, inferential statistics were used to investigate the association of women’s representation with the set of predictor variables. Binary logistic regression result shows that cultural belief and attitude, insufficient capacity building, lack of professional training, inflexible working hours, inadequate experience, family commitments, inadequate job knowledge, inadequate academic qualification, lack of motivation and interests, limited access of advanced education and overall organizational culture have a significant effect on the under representation of women’s leadership in public sectors. The study finding revealed that organizational and personal factors seem to have major contributors as compared to societal factors that hindered women representation in leadership position in public sectors. Finally, it is recommended that; awareness creation and counselling service should have given about gender equality, public sectors should be committed to encouraging women’s to have a leadership positions, capacity building and special training should be given for women to increase the number of women leaders. Keywords: Participation of women in leadership, societal factor, organizational factor, personal factor, Ensaro woreda public sectors. DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/60-02 Publication date: June 30 th 2020

Highlights

In principle, public administration is guided by principles of fairness, accountability, justice, equality and nondiscrimination, and serves as a model of governance for society which includes the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the civil service workforce
Cultural belief and attitude, insufficient capacity building, lack of professional training, inflexible working hours, inadequate experience, family commitments, inadequate job knowledge, inadequate academic qualification, lack of motivation and interests, limited access to advanced education and overall organizational culture have a significant effect on the participation of women in leadership at the 5% level of significance
The descriptive result of this study shows that from the total sampled respondent only 11% of them are women having the managerial position others have non managerial/subordinate position

Summary

Introduction

Public administration is guided by principles of fairness, accountability, justice, equality and nondiscrimination, and serves as a model of governance for society which includes the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the civil service workforce. Instead of being a driving force behind the implementation of internationally-agreed goals on gender equality and human rights standards and principles, in many developed and developing countries, public administration often remains a patriarchal institution, perpetuating gender biased traditions, attitudes and practices women do not yet participate in public administration, especially in leadership and decision-making (UNDP, 2014). The United Nations development program report 2014 further stated that the target of a minimum of 30 percent of women in leadership positions, originally endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1990 and reaffirmed in the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, is being approached in many public administrations and even surpassed in some. While progress is being made in terms of total numbers of women in public administration, both glass ceilings and glass walls continue to present challenges to women’s equal participation in decision-making positions (UNDP, 2014). Examples are Proclamations 471/2005 and 691/2010 that established Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) and Ministry of Women, Children and Youth (MOWCYA), respectively (UNFPA, 2008)

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