TIPTOEING TOWARDS A REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY: ENGENDERING GENDER EQUALITY IN MALAWI PUBLIC SERVICE

Abstract

The article uses representative bureaucracy theory to analyse the prospects of engendering gender equality in Malawi Public Service. It holds that where women are integrated into Public Service on an equal footing, there is anecdotal evidence of effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness. This article finds that despite policy, legal and institutional interventions by the Malawi Government, there are critical structural, systemic, cultural, institutional and implementation challenges that militate against the realization of a representative bureaucracy in terms of gender in the Public Service. A distinction between descriptive and substantive representation suggests that gender equality in Public Service should not necessarily be a matter of sheer numbers. The article finds that women are fewer in the Public Service employ in terms of proportions with males; and, that they are also disadvantaged in regard to leadership positions. From both perspectives, the article notes that women’s voice is not accorded the necessary status it deserves in Public Service decision-making processes. Also, the article concludes that the few women in leadership positions within the Public Service have not vigorously championed the cause for effective implementation of gender- based policies. As a result, the article recommends that the process of engendering gender equality in Public Service should involve collaborative effort. Keywords: Gender, Gender-based Policy, Public service, Representative bureaucracy