The influence of gender related factors on women appointment to management position in primary schools Kitui county, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out factors influencing gender appointment to management positions in primary schools in Kitui Central Sub-county. The problem of the study was to investigate the already revealed misguided assumptions in the background to the study which hinders female appointment to management in primary schools. The objectives of the study were to establish the influence of marital status on women appointment, the influence of family commitment on women appointment and also gender stereotype on appointment of women to management in primary schools. A non-randomized sampling in which cluster sampling of zones followed purposive sampling of gender and simple random sampling of respondents was used for the study. Interview guide and questionnaire were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using statistics such as percentage and calculated mean scores of likert scale values. The analyzed data was presented using frequency distribution Tables. The study revealed that family life experience in marital status, gender policy and gender discriminatory practices of female influence appointment to management position. Based on the research findings researcher concluded that gender structures, in the study area are influencing gender appointment. This enables both women and men to appreciate that all have equal opportunities for appointment to management. The family institutions needed to be decolonized from men dominance to one where roles can be shared between both husbands and wife without gendered prejudice. There is need to design all inclusive gender policy that is free of gendered ascendancy to higher jobs and the males preserved posts among the available job vacancies in education sector. The researcher further suggested on the factors influencing males and females appointment to leadership post not only in education sector but also other public sectors. This would help in unraveling ways of designing gender policies which encourages equal opportunity access to management positions in public jobs among both men and women.