Assessment of Women Army Members’ Empowerment at Strategic and Operational Leadership Positions; the Case of Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2017-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Issues of women empowerment and participation in high leadership or decision making positions
are becoming the centre stages in the discourse of global development. Enhancement of women
participation and improve their empowerment with intent to the gender equality has to get due
focus to enable them uplifted to the decision making role they can play.
Role of women in defence strength and effectiveness in the same way is crucial and has to get
special concern and commitment of the leadership, put ways of enforcement mechanism for the
success.
The problem pushed the researcher to make his study on women empowerment was that due to
his work field, he had an opportunity to meet leaders at all levels of leadership and observed
there was no woman at strategic and operational leadership positions; all the stated positions
were seen occupied by men leaving all high ranked women at third lower level/ tactical/
leadership positions and struck him to make his study on the Assessment of Women army
members’ empowerment at strategic and Operational leadership positions.
The objective of the study was to assess the current gap on women empowerment at strategic and
operational leadership positions in national defence i.e. To justify leadership positions occupied
by women as compared to men and To identify the challenges that hinder women to come up to
the stated positions through the questions specified as, Do women in the national defence enjoy
empowerment in strategic and operational leadership positions equal to the men? What areas of
leadership positions do women occupy in the organization as compared to men? What
challenges hinder women to come up to the stated leadership positions? That answered
successfully. Method of the study was both quantitative and qualitative research approaches so
as to meet the set objectives. The findings collected from the study showed that there are
challenges such as absence of gender related guideline, lack of enforcement mechanism to the
gender mainstreaming issues incorporated in organizational laws, Lesser effort on women
capacity building, Lack of commitment and accountability on all the concerned leaders to
identify the gap and put strategic direction to fill the gap. Therefore, The organization has to put
implementation mechanism as mere presence of policy and strategic documents has no value,
women have strengthen their organization to have power and show commitment to enforce the
rights
they
have;
male
have
to
be
endured
to
put
their
all
round
support
Description
Keywords
Leadership Positions