Factors Affecting the Participation of Women in School Leadership Positions in the Primary Schools of BojiChekorsa Woreda
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Date
2018-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate Factors Affecting the Participation of Women in School Leadership Positions in the Primary Schools of BojiChekorsaWoreda. To attain the stated objective, basic questions were asked. These research questions sought answers for: barriers to woman applying for leadership positions; the interest of woman to come to school leadership positions; the attitude of the schools’ society towards women in school leadership role and encouraging measures to enhance women’s representation in school leadership positions. Descriptive survey method was employed to conduct the study. Samples of the study were selected using purposive and systematic random sampling techniques. In order to collect data questionnaires and interviews were utilized. The questionnaires were distributed to 113 teachers, 11 school principals, and 8 Woreda Education Office experts. All filled the questionnaires and returned. In addition, 6 school supervisors and 7 department heads were interviewed. The data collected from respondents were organized and tabulated. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics or frequency, percentage and mean scores of the respondents. Accordingly the study revealed that some woman leaders are less confident in decision making process; and women have not freed themselves from the long lived negative attitude of the society towards them and they have not strived for their own right as required, but they accepted their inferiority to men. It was further identified that the major cause that affect the participation of women in school leadership positions were social attitude towards woman, lack of role models and mentors, gender inequality in work place, lack of professional net-work and lack of equal opportunity in leadership positions.The conclusion from this is that the paucity of women in primary schools leadership position is indicative for the presence of unfriendly working environment for women in primary schools. Hence primary schools need to make the work place more conducive and friendly to attract more females to the primary school leadership process. Involving them in decision making and leadership and the commitment of the Woreda Education Office and primary schools to narrow down the gap will have paramount importance. Networking, monitoring and providing leadership training aggressively can help young women to come forward. Thus, to improve these situations it is recommended that, forum for female teachers should be established, the primary schools should create conducive grounds for both female teachers and female students so as to exercise decision making by empowering themselves as chair persons of clubs, committees and school boards. Finally, policies should be practical and not be only theoretical, and should be implemented properly.
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Factors Affecting the Participation, of Women in School Leadership