Women's Participation In Leadership Research Articles

Prospects of addressing the challenges of gender inequalities in Christian missions

Gender inequality has been pervasive in many aspects of society, including religious institutions. Christian missions often reinforce patriarchal structures that limit the participation of women in leadership and ministry roles. However, this does not reflect the true nature of Christianity, which embraces equality and inclusivity for all individuals. This article analyses the challenges of gender inequality within Christian missions in Northern Nigeria to propose ways of addressing the issue and focussing on addressing the challenges in Nigeria, Northern Nigeria especially. The article adopted the descriptive method employing an interview guide as an instrument to collect primary data from missionaries of the Nigerian Baptist Convention in Northern Nigeria. It employed content analysis to analyse data collected from the field.Contribution: The contribution of this article is that it gives an overview of gender inequality in Northern Nigeria, examines the challenges of gender inequalities in Christian missions, highlights and explains the prospects of tackling the challenges, and concludes on the issues raised within the article.

Table Banking and Women Economic Empowerment in Nakuru County, Kenya

This publication is part of a wider study which aims at evaluating Women Economic Empowerment programme, which is being implemented by the Women Empowerment Link (WEL) in several counties across Kenya, since 2015. In Nakuru the programme targeted grassroot women in table banking. To make the evaluation comprehensive in determining the level of women economic empowerment, this study adopted Kabeer’s (2005) theoretical framework for measuring women’s empowerment. The objective of the study was to establish the extent to which table banking had increased women economic empowerment in Nakuru County. Specifically, the study sought to assess the extent to which; the WEL’s project had enhanced women’s participation in county governance, women’s participation in the project had increased access to services and resources; and finally Identify success stories, lessons learnt and challenges that women in the project encountered. The study reached a total of 206 out of the 473 women who had been trained on basic financial literacy from 35 table banking groups. In each of the selected groups, three officials (the chairperson, secretary and the treasurer) and three members participated in the study. Key informants, 2 gender officers, 1 gender champion also participated. Data analysis revealed that 80% of the women were business owners, 10.21% were employed while 6.6% were domestic workers. The study’s findings revealed that WEL’s programme on Strengthening Inclusive Leadership had mixed results in enhancing participation of women in leadership and governance. Only half of the women at 49.51% had offered themselves for leadership and governance positions yet their capacities and availability to participate in leadership and governance were rated very high. The study also found that women’s participation in the WEL’s project had increased access to services, resources and women’s participation in governance opportunities to a large extent. Finally, the study appreciated that the WEL project in Nakuru targeted most vulnerable, low income i.e., economically vulnerable grassroots women. Among the obstacles found to be hindering Women Economic Empowerment were poverty, high level of illiteracy and lack of information. Among other recommendations, women requested additional seed capital from either WEL or County Government to increase their borrowing power within their groups and expand adult literacy programme by the County Government. The study also recommended concerted campaign to include more women in leadership and governance.

BARRIERS CONFRONTING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTORS: THE CASE OF DEMBA GOFFA WOREDA, GAMO GOFFA ZONE

This study attempts to investigate barriers confronting women in leadership in public sectors with reference to Demba Goffa Woreda, Ethiopia. It takes into account strategies that can be used to enhance participation of women in leadership in public sectors based on the nature of the sectors. In order to achieve this purpose, descriptive survey design has been employed. The target population of the present study is 510 out of which 146 respondents have been selected through sample size determination. Questionnaire, structured interview, and focus group discussion were employed for data collection. Data has been analyzed with the help of SPSS version 21 by employing descriptive statistics (percentage, frequency, mean and standard deviation), one sample t-test and multiple regressions. The findings reveal that the current status of women’s participation in leadership is high in certain areas and they are found to be department heads, process owners, team leaders, and co-coordinators in the public sectors. The findings also reveal that employee perception related to barrier (b =0.250, p<0.05) with R2=0.62(62%) is significant and positively related to women leadership. This indicates that 62% perceive perception of employee as the main barrier to women leadership when compared to the other variables. This is due to the fact that women get too emotional and frustrated when challenge encounters them. Strategies like reserving quota for women which will promote women leadership are important in enhancing participation of women in leadership. Keywords: women; leadership; glass ceiling

An Initiative of Women Empowerment for Sustainable Economic Development

Women, comprises of half of the world’s inhabitants who can be a powerful tool for social change, where effective involvement of women in the growth of the world is the need of a time. Participation of women in leadership is completely related to large number of advantages for the society as a whole. The reason behind this study is to reveal the function of empowering women and getting sexual category equal opportunity for the sustainable progress of the society as a whole. Women are extremely affected due to social problems, and less importance is specified to their career growth. To attain this purpose, the investigator has employed qualitative method, with secondary source of data as an instruments of data gathering. It is being understood that unless and until women are empowered and gender fairness is achieved in the society sustainable development is not possible. Today women can contribute in social, economic, political, and environmental areas provided they are necessarily being supported through the initiatives of the government. Our country will not attain sustainable progress only through the selection and participation of men's in different areas. It is a reality that women represent around half of entire population of the country and empowering this section to become an active partner of all developmental strategies in the country is of utmost importance. Hence, this paper focuses on the strong pledge of our government to authorize women and make use of the available potential of the country and to get about sustainable growth of the society at large. Broad objective of this research is to understand how Government initiative can help in Environmental sustainability through women leadership.

An Initiative of Women Empowerment for Sustainable Economic Development

Women, comprises of half of the world’s inhabitants who can be a powerful tool for social change, where effective involvement of women in the growth of the world is the need of a time. Participation of women in leadership is completely related to large number of advantages for the society as a whole. The reason behind this study is to reveal the function of empowering women and getting sexual category equal opportunity for the sustainable progress of the society as a whole. Women are extremely affected due to social problems, and less importance is specified to their career growth. To attain this purpose, the investigator has employed qualitative method, with secondary source of data as an instruments of data gathering. It is being understood that unless and until women are empowered and gender fairness is achieved in the society sustainable development is not possible. Today women can contribute in social, economic, political, and environmental areas provided they are necessarily being supported through the initiatives of the government. Our country will not attain sustainable progress only through the selection and participation of men's in different areas. It is a reality that women represent around half of entire population of the country and empowering this section to become an active partner of all developmental strategies in the country is of utmost importance. Hence, this paper focuses on the strong pledge of our government to authorize women and make use of the available potential of the country and to get about sustainable growth of the society at large. Broad objective of this research is to understand how Government initiative can help in Environmental sustainability through women leadership.

Socio-Cultural and Economic Drivers for Women Participation in Leadership of Nyeri County Cooperatives, Kenya

Social-cultural and economic drivers affect women's involvement and equal participation in leadership in cooperative movements. Although many countries have been able to develop the appropriate measures, implementations are still the major throwback to the realization of these development agendas. For sustainability, an enabling environment should be created to enable all stakeholders to actively take part in cooperative movement regardless of the various challenges. The study aimed to research on how the social, economic and cultural drivers determine women’s ability to participate in the running of and day-to-day activities of the cooperative movement in Kieni East Sub County, in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study used a descriptive research design to accomplish its objectives and the target population was 205 women. The study employed purposive sampling and the target members were identified and then a selection of the members done with regard to the study objectives. The study used primary data and secondary data. The data was collected by use of both semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides. Data analysis was conducted objectively. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was utilized to analyze the collected data. Data analysis employed both quantitative and qualitative analysis; quantitative analysis used both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative analysis on the other hand used content analysis. The findings were presented with the help of tables, frequencies, and percentages. Pilot test of the measures was conducted against a prospective sample population to measure validity and reliability. Test re-test method was used to measure the validity of the research instruments. The study concluded that social-cultural factors affect women in participating in leadership positions in cooperative movements. It is therefore the mandate of every individual, the government and the non-governmental organization to look on how to create awareness concerning women in leadership in order to reduce the gap that has been evident in the study. Future studies should try to comparatively compare these results to other sub-county away from Mt. Kenya, or also seek to evaluate how these factors affect women's participation in a leadership position in other sectors like the private sector of employment.

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

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

Women, Minorities, and Leadership in Anesthesiology: Take the Pledge

Women, Minorities, and Leadership in Anesthesiology: Take the Pledge

Sociocultural Beliefs and Women Leadership in Sanyati District

This study explored the level of women participation in leadership identifying some of the challenges thereto in the selected rural district of Sanyati, Zimbabwe. The study sought to address the following aspects: roles of women in Sanyati, sociocultural beliefs with regards to leadership, and the depth of the effects of women’s nonparticipation in leadership. The research guided by the role congruity theory was qualitative in nature trying to understand human behavior and experience influenced by sociocultural norms. Research population composed of chiefs, headmen, village heads, elderly women and men, and councilors who had a sound appreciation of the subject. Twenty-seven participants, nine from each of the three wards, were purposively sampled and deemed enough as the research anchored on antipositivism. Data collection was necessitated through the use of in-depth interviews and questionnaires, after which latent content analysis was used to analyze data. The study established that the involvement and interest of women in leadership was low because of illiteracy, culture, and ignorance on the part of the women.

Women with disabilities in leadership: The challenges of patriarchy

abstractIn Africa women with disabilities remain marginalised and struggle to claim their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This focus explores the experiences of women with disabilities in leadership positions in disabled people's organisations (DPOs) in Zimbabwe. A group of eight women leaders with disabilities in DPOs in Harare and Bulawayo were interviewed for the study over a period of three months during 2011. This article focuses on the core themes that emerged. Discussion of their challenges and experiences reveals the complexity of the interface between disability and culture, which created dynamic intersections between patriarchy and the gendered power relations experienced by the participants. Their experiences suggest that patriarchy continues to restrain full participation of women in leadership in DPOs in Zimbabwe, which is consistent with the global trend. Implications for exercising of leadership by women with disabilities who are active in the disability movement are also considered.

Factors that affect Women Participation in Leadership and Decision Making Position

This study aimed to identify status of women in Bedele town administration, as well point out factors hindering women from the participating in public and forward some possible recommendations for solving the problems identified through study. Primarily, the study is of descriptive in nature and survey method was used in data gathering. Data used in this paper is mainly primary but to some extent secondary data as well, quantitative and qualitative types was incorporated. In doing this research paper, of total employees existing in Bedele Town administration, 108 (30% of total population) sample respondents were selected using systematic random sampling method, and were placed questionnaires containing open ended and closed ended nature questions personally, 103 (95.37%) of them had filled and returned the questionnaire. In addition, a mayor of the town and Women Affair office head were addressed through interview using interview guide. In way of analyzing data, techniques such as tabulation, percentages, chart and the like has been employed. Study revealed that, in public institutions existed in Bedele Town, the majority of women were having an educational status of diploma and lower, holding lower non decision making and leadership positions, and observed major barriers hindering women from public leadership and decision-making positions include: Socio-cultural attitudes and lack of acquisition of the necessary experience for taking part in public decision-making, Over burden of domestic responsibilities continuation of the negative attitudes regarding women’s ability to lead and govern, Lack of role models of women leaders for young women and girls, and the like can be stated. Finally, the researcher has forwarded some possible ways in which women could appear in public decision making and leadership.

Factors that affect Women Participation in Leadership and Decision Making Position

Factors that affect Women Participation in Leadership and Decision Making Position

Factors that affect Women Participation in Leadership and Decision Making Position

This study aimed to identify status of women in Bedele town administration, as well point out factors hindering women from the participating in public and forward some possible recommendations for solving the problems identified through study. Primarily, the study is of descriptive in nature and survey method was used in data gathering. Data used in this paper is mainly primary but to some extent secondary data as well, quantitative and qualitative types was incorporated. In doing this research paper, of total employees existing in Bedele Town administration, 108 (30% of total population) sample respondents were selected using systematic random sampling method, and were placed questionnaires containing open ended and closed ended nature questions personally, 103 (95.37%) of them had filled and returned the questionnaire. In addition, a mayor of the town and Women Affair office head were addressed through interview using interview guide. In way of analyzing data, techniques such as tabulation, percentages, chart and the like has been employed. Study revealed that, in public institutions existed in Bedele Town, the majority of women were having an educational status of diploma and lower, holding lower non decision making and leadership positions, and observed major barriers hindering women from public leadership and decision-making positions include: Socio-cultural attitudes and lack of acquisition of the necessary experience for taking part in public decision-making, Over burden of domestic responsibilities continuation of the negative attitudes regarding women’s ability to lead and govern, Lack of role models of women leaders for young women and girls, and the like can be stated. Finally, the researcher has forwarded some possible ways in which women could appear in public decision making and leadership.

Women and higher education leadership in Kenya: a critical analysis

This paper undertakes a critique of the gendered nature of leadership in modern universities in Kenya. The paper argues that the inclusive nature of African feminism makes it easier for both men and women to join in this discussion since African feminism demands a more holistic perspective that does not pit men against women but encourages them to work together to address gender inequalities. The review shows that there is a need to develop policies and strategies both at national and local level geared towards increasing women's participation in decision making and leadership in higher education in Kenya. The paper provides an opportunity for reflection on problems related to the participation of academic women in leadership in higher education in Kenya and comparable systems through the changing times and settings.

Gender Inequality in Decision Making in Cooperatives: A Cross National Study of Asia and Pacific Countries

The Tagaytay conference in 1997 showed a deep concern regarding the gender inequality in cooperatives in terms of participation of women in leadership in cooperatives of Asia and Pacific countries. It came out with a concrete strategy for improving participation of women in decision making in cooperatives. It is now almost ten years after this conference and the achievement seems to be downhearted. Many countries in Asia could not achieve gender equality in cooperative sectors. This paper assesses the status of women in various levels of cooperatives in thirteen Asian countries. It shows that representation of women in decision making positions is extremely low in many Asian countries. Further, their participation is also very negligible in economically attractive as well as in technical fields of cooperatives. There is still high gender inequality prevailing in Asian cooperatives. There is a lot need to be done to achieve the goals targeted during Tagaytay conference.