Factors Affecting Women’s Participation In Leadership Positions: In Case Of Selected Public Sectors Of Holeta City Admini Stration, Ethiopia

Abstract

Women make up about fifty percent of the world's population. However, they were less represented in leadership positions in general and in decision-making roles in particular. Women face many challenges to participate in leadership positions due to various factors. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the factors that influence the participation of women in leadership positions in the management of the city of Holeta. For this purpose, a sample of 120 respondents was selected, who participated in filling out their own questionnaire. Both descriptive and explanatory research designs were used. Data collected using a structured questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, arithmetic mean and standard deviations. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis was used to convert the qualitative responses to a ratio measurement scale after calculating the composite mean. The result of the descriptive statistics shows that the participation of women in leadership positions was very low in the administration of the city of Holeta. Explanatory variables such as socio-cultural factors, organizational factors and gender stereotypes were used as explanatory variables. All three were significant, and except organizational factors, other factors have strong negative relationships with the response variable female leadership participation. The main factors that have a higher influence on the participation of women in leadership positions were male dominance, the triple role of women, low education of women, cultural barriers and lack of trust between women. The results of the study show that in order to improve the participation of women in decision-making roles, the city administration must continuously provide training and development programs for female employees, reservation for women in leadership positions, self-awareness and personality development training to be administered continuously. To minimize these factors, the city needs to implement leadership skills training and affirmative action to increase the participation of women in leadership positions and provide a different training plan for women