Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Wakgari Megersa Aga; Gebremedhin Woldemariam

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Wakgari Megersa Aga, Gebremedhin Woldemariam

Published in International Journal of Education, Culture and Society (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Received: 1 February 2017 Accepted: 20 February 2017 Published: 18 March 2017

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Abstract

Regardless of the fact that lots of efforts have been made, numerous legal & regulatory mechanisms have been adopted to empower women, their proportion in managerial position is still negligible because of many challenges. Moreover, the negligible proportions who come to leadership positions often encounter lots of challenges. In education institutions & sector offices, for instance, various stereotypical images are projected on women in leadership positions from the sides of different individuals. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the major barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes against them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive survey design. So, out of the 24 districts (i.e., 22 districts and 2 administrative towns) 6 districts were randomly selected for this study. There were a total of about 214 workers in these 6 district education offices out of which 79 males & 29 females, totally 108 workers (i.e., 50.5%) were made to fill the questionnaire. In addition, interviews were conducted with 8 women employees of the district education offices. Thus, it was fond out, in this study that majority (74.4%) of the men respondents had some kind of position such as department heads, school unit leaders, school vice directors or directors before joining their current offices, while only few (38%) of the women respondents had some kind of position in their previous school/office. In addition, nearly 36.6% of the men respondents had ever held head (17.7%) and vice head positions (18.9%) once up on a time in their current office, whereas only 6.8% of the women respondents had ever held head (3.4%) and vice head (3.4%) positions in their current offices. The same is true to the respondents situations in relation to their current position in their current offices. For instance, it was observed that majority of the heads and the vice head offices were males. The study findings also showed that there were policies and guidelines though not fully implemented. Generally, it was observed that there were lots of barriers that a woman may encounter; and that may hinder women from upward mobility to leadership positions. For instance, lack of opportunities for promotions, lack of top management supports, absence of recognition of the existence of the challenges, under expectations/evaluations of women’s successes on leadership positions and other stereotypes were addressed. Finally, therefore, utilization of current structure to filter information on the advancement of women from one level to the other, considering women advancement in all levels of decision making, developing program that are meant to empower women, recognition of the existence of the problems, affirmative action and the like were forwarded as recommendations.

Published in	International Journal of Education, Culture and Society (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
Page(s)	50-60
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Barriers, Gender, Gender Stereotypes, Upward Mobility

References

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[2]	Committee for Economic Development of Australia/CEDA (2013). Women in Leadership: Understanding the Gender Gap. CEDA. Australia.
[3]	Crowford, M. and Unger, R. (2000). Women and Gender. A Feminist Psychology. 3^rd Ed. McGraw-Hill. New York.
[4]	Duehr, E. E., & Bono, J. E. (2006). Men, women and managers: Are stereotypes finally changing? Personnel Psychology.
[5]	Jeanine L. Prime, Nancy M. Theresa M. (2009). Women “Take Care,” Men “Take Charge”: Managers’ Stereotypic Perceptions of Women and Men Leaders. The Psychologist-Manager Journal. The Society of Psychologists in Management ISSN 1088-7156 print / 1550-3461 online DOI: 10.1080/10887150802371799. Michigan.
[6]	Kerbo, H. R. (2000). Social Stratification and Inequality: Class Conflict in Historical, Comparative, and Global Perspective. 4^th Ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. USA.
[7]	Olson D. H. & DeFrain, J. (2000). Marriage and the Family. Diversity and Strength. 3^rd Ed. Mayfield Publishing Com. London.
[8]	Richard A. B. and Kevin C. Crawford (2013). Gender Stereotyping of Leadership Behaviors: Social Meta cognitive Evidence http://www.sciknow.org/journals/show/id/psbr. Sciknow Publications Ltd. Montana, USA.
[9]	Rohini P. and Deanna F. (2011). Gender Quotas and Female Leadership: A Review Background Paper for the World Development Report on Gender. http://www.europeanpwn.net/files/eva_analysis_english.pdf.
[10]	Sam, F. K. et al (2013). Female leadership stereotypes: The Perception of the Leadership of Female Heads of Senior High Schools in Ashanti Region. International Research Journals. http://www.interesjournals.org/ER.
[11]	Save the Children Denmark (2008). A Study of Violence against Girls In Schools and Its Impacts on Girls Education in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa.
[12]	UNESCO (2005). Taking Stock of Girls Education in Ethiopia. Preparing for ESDP III. Addis Ababa.
[13]	USAID (2013)Gender Policy Study: Exploring Policy-Practice Gaps of Female Leadership in the Ethiopian Education System. Addis Ababa.
[14]	Uzma Ali, Ayesha K., and Munaf (2013). Attitudes toward Women in Managerial Position in Pakistan: A Comparative Study. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 3, No. 3, June 2013.

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Wakgari Megersa Aga, Gebremedhin Woldemariam. (2017). Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 2(2), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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ACS Style

Wakgari Megersa Aga; Gebremedhin Woldemariam. Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. Int. J. Educ. Cult. Soc. 2017, 2(2), 50-60. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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AMA Style

Wakgari Megersa Aga, Gebremedhin Woldemariam. Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. Int J Educ Cult Soc. 2017;2(2):50-60. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12,
  author = {Wakgari Megersa Aga and Gebremedhin Woldemariam},
  title = {Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia},
  journal = {International Journal of Education, Culture and Society},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {50-60},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  abstract = {Regardless of the fact that lots of efforts have been made, numerous legal & regulatory mechanisms have been adopted to empower women, their proportion in managerial position is still negligible because of many challenges. Moreover, the negligible proportions who come to leadership positions often encounter lots of challenges. In education institutions & sector offices, for instance, various stereotypical images are projected on women in leadership positions from the sides of different individuals. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the major barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes against them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive survey design. So, out of the 24 districts (i.e., 22 districts and 2 administrative towns) 6 districts were randomly selected for this study. There were a total of about 214 workers in these 6 district education offices out of which 79 males & 29 females, totally 108 workers (i.e., 50.5%) were made to fill the questionnaire. In addition, interviews were conducted with 8 women employees of the district education offices. Thus, it was fond out, in this study that majority (74.4%) of the men respondents had some kind of position such as department heads, school unit leaders, school vice directors or directors before joining their current offices, while only few (38%) of the women respondents had some kind of position in their previous school/office. In addition, nearly 36.6% of the men respondents had ever held head (17.7%) and vice head positions (18.9%) once up on a time in their current office, whereas only 6.8% of the women respondents had ever held head (3.4%) and vice head (3.4%) positions in their current offices. The same is true to the respondents situations in relation to their current position in their current offices. For instance, it was observed that majority of the heads and the vice head offices were males. The study findings also showed that there were policies and guidelines though not fully implemented. Generally, it was observed that there were lots of barriers that a woman may encounter; and that may hinder women from upward mobility to leadership positions. For instance, lack of opportunities for promotions, lack of top management supports, absence of recognition of the existence of the challenges, under expectations/evaluations of women’s successes on leadership positions and other stereotypes were addressed. Finally, therefore, utilization of current structure to filter information on the advancement of women from one level to the other, considering women advancement in all levels of decision making, developing program that are meant to empower women, recognition of the existence of the problems, affirmative action and the like were forwarded as recommendations.},
 year = {2017}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia
AU  - Wakgari Megersa Aga
AU  - Gebremedhin Woldemariam
Y1  - 2017/03/18
PY  - 2017
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
T2  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JF  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JO  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
SP  - 50
EP  - 60
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3363
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
AB  - Regardless of the fact that lots of efforts have been made, numerous legal & regulatory mechanisms have been adopted to empower women, their proportion in managerial position is still negligible because of many challenges. Moreover, the negligible proportions who come to leadership positions often encounter lots of challenges. In education institutions & sector offices, for instance, various stereotypical images are projected on women in leadership positions from the sides of different individuals. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the major barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes against them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive survey design. So, out of the 24 districts (i.e., 22 districts and 2 administrative towns) 6 districts were randomly selected for this study. There were a total of about 214 workers in these 6 district education offices out of which 79 males & 29 females, totally 108 workers (i.e., 50.5%) were made to fill the questionnaire. In addition, interviews were conducted with 8 women employees of the district education offices. Thus, it was fond out, in this study that majority (74.4%) of the men respondents had some kind of position such as department heads, school unit leaders, school vice directors or directors before joining their current offices, while only few (38%) of the women respondents had some kind of position in their previous school/office. In addition, nearly 36.6% of the men respondents had ever held head (17.7%) and vice head positions (18.9%) once up on a time in their current office, whereas only 6.8% of the women respondents had ever held head (3.4%) and vice head (3.4%) positions in their current offices. The same is true to the respondents situations in relation to their current position in their current offices. For instance, it was observed that majority of the heads and the vice head offices were males. The study findings also showed that there were policies and guidelines though not fully implemented. Generally, it was observed that there were lots of barriers that a woman may encounter; and that may hinder women from upward mobility to leadership positions. For instance, lack of opportunities for promotions, lack of top management supports, absence of recognition of the existence of the challenges, under expectations/evaluations of women’s successes on leadership positions and other stereotypes were addressed. Finally, therefore, utilization of current structure to filter information on the advancement of women from one level to the other, considering women advancement in all levels of decision making, developing program that are meant to empower women, recognition of the existence of the problems, affirmative action and the like were forwarded as recommendations.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Wakgari Megersa Aga

Department of Early Child Care and Education, Institute of Education and Professional Development, Mettu University, Mettu, South West Ethiopia
Gebremedhin Woldemariam

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Mettu University, Mettu, South West Ethiopia

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APA Style

Wakgari Megersa Aga, Gebremedhin Woldemariam. (2017). Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 2(2), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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ACS Style

Wakgari Megersa Aga; Gebremedhin Woldemariam. Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. Int. J. Educ. Cult. Soc. 2017, 2(2), 50-60. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

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AMA Style

Wakgari Megersa Aga, Gebremedhin Woldemariam. Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. Int J Educ Cult Soc. 2017;2(2):50-60. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12,
  author = {Wakgari Megersa Aga and Gebremedhin Woldemariam},
  title = {Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia},
  journal = {International Journal of Education, Culture and Society},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {50-60},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijecs.20170202.12},
  abstract = {Regardless of the fact that lots of efforts have been made, numerous legal & regulatory mechanisms have been adopted to empower women, their proportion in managerial position is still negligible because of many challenges. Moreover, the negligible proportions who come to leadership positions often encounter lots of challenges. In education institutions & sector offices, for instance, various stereotypical images are projected on women in leadership positions from the sides of different individuals. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the major barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes against them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive survey design. So, out of the 24 districts (i.e., 22 districts and 2 administrative towns) 6 districts were randomly selected for this study. There were a total of about 214 workers in these 6 district education offices out of which 79 males & 29 females, totally 108 workers (i.e., 50.5%) were made to fill the questionnaire. In addition, interviews were conducted with 8 women employees of the district education offices. Thus, it was fond out, in this study that majority (74.4%) of the men respondents had some kind of position such as department heads, school unit leaders, school vice directors or directors before joining their current offices, while only few (38%) of the women respondents had some kind of position in their previous school/office. In addition, nearly 36.6% of the men respondents had ever held head (17.7%) and vice head positions (18.9%) once up on a time in their current office, whereas only 6.8% of the women respondents had ever held head (3.4%) and vice head (3.4%) positions in their current offices. The same is true to the respondents situations in relation to their current position in their current offices. For instance, it was observed that majority of the heads and the vice head offices were males. The study findings also showed that there were policies and guidelines though not fully implemented. Generally, it was observed that there were lots of barriers that a woman may encounter; and that may hinder women from upward mobility to leadership positions. For instance, lack of opportunities for promotions, lack of top management supports, absence of recognition of the existence of the challenges, under expectations/evaluations of women’s successes on leadership positions and other stereotypes were addressed. Finally, therefore, utilization of current structure to filter information on the advancement of women from one level to the other, considering women advancement in all levels of decision making, developing program that are meant to empower women, recognition of the existence of the problems, affirmative action and the like were forwarded as recommendations.},
 year = {2017}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessment of Barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes Against Them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia
AU  - Wakgari Megersa Aga
AU  - Gebremedhin Woldemariam
Y1  - 2017/03/18
PY  - 2017
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
T2  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JF  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JO  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
SP  - 50
EP  - 60
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3363
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170202.12
AB  - Regardless of the fact that lots of efforts have been made, numerous legal & regulatory mechanisms have been adopted to empower women, their proportion in managerial position is still negligible because of many challenges. Moreover, the negligible proportions who come to leadership positions often encounter lots of challenges. In education institutions & sector offices, for instance, various stereotypical images are projected on women in leadership positions from the sides of different individuals. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the major barriers Hindering Women from Upward Mobility to Leadership Positions and Stereotypes against them in District Education Offices of Illu Abba Bora Zone, South Western Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive survey design. So, out of the 24 districts (i.e., 22 districts and 2 administrative towns) 6 districts were randomly selected for this study. There were a total of about 214 workers in these 6 district education offices out of which 79 males & 29 females, totally 108 workers (i.e., 50.5%) were made to fill the questionnaire. In addition, interviews were conducted with 8 women employees of the district education offices. Thus, it was fond out, in this study that majority (74.4%) of the men respondents had some kind of position such as department heads, school unit leaders, school vice directors or directors before joining their current offices, while only few (38%) of the women respondents had some kind of position in their previous school/office. In addition, nearly 36.6% of the men respondents had ever held head (17.7%) and vice head positions (18.9%) once up on a time in their current office, whereas only 6.8% of the women respondents had ever held head (3.4%) and vice head (3.4%) positions in their current offices. The same is true to the respondents situations in relation to their current position in their current offices. For instance, it was observed that majority of the heads and the vice head offices were males. The study findings also showed that there were policies and guidelines though not fully implemented. Generally, it was observed that there were lots of barriers that a woman may encounter; and that may hinder women from upward mobility to leadership positions. For instance, lack of opportunities for promotions, lack of top management supports, absence of recognition of the existence of the challenges, under expectations/evaluations of women’s successes on leadership positions and other stereotypes were addressed. Finally, therefore, utilization of current structure to filter information on the advancement of women from one level to the other, considering women advancement in all levels of decision making, developing program that are meant to empower women, recognition of the existence of the problems, affirmative action and the like were forwarded as recommendations.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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