Women in Decision-making: Investigating Roles and Challenges in Selected Governmental Offices at Hosanna City Administration

  • Yihenew Misrak Tsehay Department of Governance and Development Studies, Bahirdar University, Bahirdar, Ethiopia
Keywords: women, decision-making, roles, challenges, Hosanna city administration

Abstract

The process of decision-making affects both organization’s administration and the lives of the society. Accordingly, this study has been conducted to examine the roles of women participation in decisionmaking and to investigate challenges on their participation. The study employed qualitative method. Whereas participants of the study were selected purposively, data were collected through interviews and analysed thematically. The study showed that interest articulation, building institutional trust and socialization, proper utilization and management of resources, enhancing the achievement of institutional goals, upholding institutional responsibilities, making rational decisions and fighting maladministration are important contributions of women in decision-making. On the other hand, the overburden of women, low access for leadership positions, backward socio-cultural attitudes and practices, lack of trust at household level and feeling of discrimination, feeling of inefficacy and lack of motivation, low educational status and insufficient institutional support were the main challenges on women’s decision-making activity. Therefore, appreciating women’s role in decision-making activities and working to ease up their challenges must be the timely actions of all concerned parties.

References

African Union. (2015). Women’s equal participation and leadership in political parties in

Africa: a concept note on the fourth annual high level dialogue on democracy, human

rights and governance in Africa: trends, challenges and prospects, Addis Ababa.

Alemayehu Bishaw. (2014). The impact of education on rural women’s participation in

political and economic activities. International Journal of Educational Administration

and Policy Studies, 6(2), 23-31, doi: 10.5897/IJEAPS2013.0316.

Alemtsehay Mekonnen & Kerebih Asrese. (2014). Household decision-making status of

women in Dabat district, North West Ethiopia. Science Journal of Public Health, 2(2),

-118. doi: 10.11648/J.SJPH.20140202.20.

Alhojailan, M. (2012). Thematic analysis: a critical review of its process and evaluation. West

East Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1), 39-47.

Al-Tarawneh, Hussien. (2011). The main factors beyond decision-making. Journal of

Management Research, 4(1), 1-23. doi: 10.5296/jmr.v4i1.1184.

Anney, V. (2014). Ensuring the quality of the findings of qualitative research: looking at

trustworthiness criteria. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and

Policy Studies, 5(2), 272-281.

Bogalech Alemu & Mengistu Asnake. (2007). Women’s empowerment in Ethiopia: new

solution to ancient problems, Pathfinder International.

Centre for Sociological and Marketing Research. (2012). Women and men participation in

decision-making process in Chisinau. Soros foundation-Moldova, Sweden.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods

approaches. (3rded), Sage Publications.

Dorey, P., Bentley, R., Roberts, D., & Dobson, A. (2004). British politics in focus. Causeway

press limited.

Emebet Mulugeta. (2011). Report on selected practices on gender mainstreaming. United

Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa,

http://hdl.handle.net/10855/5413.

Endale Alemu. (2014). Factors that affect women participation in leadership and decisionmaking position. Asian Journal of Humanity, Art and Literature, 1(2), 97-118.

Etta, E., & Asukwo, O. (2014). The importance of feminist political philosophy. An

International Journal of Language, Literature and Gender Studies, 3(2), 167-186,

doi: 10.4314/laligens.v3i2.10.

FDRE Constitution. (1995). Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise, Addis Ababa.

Foqahaa, N. (2011). Arab women: duality of deprivation in decision-making under

patriarchal authority. Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World,

(9), 234-272. doi: 10.1163/156920811X578539.

Gorgulho, J., Tavares, J., Pascoa, C., & Tribolet, J. (2015). Governance: decision-making

model and cycle. Procedia Computer Science, (64), 578-585. doi:

1016/j.procs.2015.08.569.

Heregewoin Cherinet & Emebet Mulugeta. (2003). Towards gender equality in Ethiopia:

profile of gender relations. SIDA.

Jebessa, Uki., Amentie, C., Kaushik, K.K. & Geremew Muleta. (2015). Assessment of factors

affecting women participation in managerial positions in selected public organizations

in Jimma Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. Global Journal of Management and Business

Research, 15(4), 71-79.

Kassa Shimels. (2015). Challenges and opportunities of women political participation in

Ethiopia. Journal of Global Economics, 3(4), 1-7. doi: 10.4172/2375-4389.1000162.

Kossek, E., & Buzzanell, P. (2018). Women’s career equality and leadership in organizations:

creating an evidenceÒƒ based positive change. Journal of Human Resource

Management, 57 (4), 813- 22. doi:10.1002/hrm.21936.

Kostina, K. (2014). Political culture: the features of political decision-making in the context

of globalization. Globalistics and Globalization Studies, 61–64.

Mahmood, A. (2004). Women empowerment under Musharraf administration. Journal of

Pakistan Study Centre, 5(2), 1-20.

Marshall, J. (1984). Women manager: travellers in a male world, Wiley, New York.

Maseko, T. (2013). A comparative study of challenges faced by women in leadership: a case

of Foskor and the department of labour in Mhlathuze municipality. University of

Zululand, http://hdl.handle.net/10530/1338.

Meaza Ashenafi. (2009). Factors affecting women participation in politics and decisionmaking. Unpublished, MA Thesis.

Negulescu, O., & Doval, E. (2014). The quality of decision-making process related to

organizations’ effectiveness. Procedia Economics and Finance, (15), 858-863. doi:

1016/S2212-5671(14)00548-6.

Negulescu, O. (2014). Using a decision-making process model in strategic management.

Review of General Management, 19 (1), 111-123.

Nzomo, M. (2015). Women and political governance in Africa: a feminist perspective.

Journal of African Women's Studies.

O’Neil, T., & Domingo, P. (2015). The power to decide, women, decision-making and

gender equality. Overseas Development Institute, London.

O’Neil, T., & Domingo, P. (2016). Women and power: overcoming barriers to leadership and

influence. Overseas Development Institute, London.

Palinkas, L., Horwitz, S., Green, C., Wisdom, J., Duan, N. & Hoagwood, K. (2013).

Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method

implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental

Health Services Research, 42 (5), 533-544, doi: 10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y.

Rey, C. (2005). Gender, women and leadership, Agenda. 19(65), 4-11. doi:

1080/10130950.2005.9674614.

Ronald, I., & Norris, P. (2000).The developmental theory of the gender gap: women's and

men's voting behaviour in global perspective. International Political Science Review,

(4), 441-463. doi: 10.1177/0192512100214007.

Ruhl, K. (2004). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and

researchers. London, SAGE.

Siemienska, R. (1999). Elites and women in democratizing post-communist societies.

International Review of Sociology, 9(2), 197-219. doi: 10.1080/03906701.1999.9971308.

Taye Assefa. (2008). Digest of Ethiopia’s policies, programs and strategies: a review of

national policy on Ethiopian women. Forum for social studies, Addis Ababa.

Tucker, E. (2014). Feminist political theory in Michael Gibbons (ed.). The Encyclopaedia of

Political Thought, 1277-1289.

Ukrainian Women’s Fund. (2011). Women’s participation in politics and decision-making in

Ukraine: Strategy Paper.

United Nations Development Program. (2014). Gender equality in public administration.

New York, USA.

Published
2021-05-17
How to Cite
Tsehay, Y. M. (2021). Women in Decision-making: Investigating Roles and Challenges in Selected Governmental Offices at Hosanna City Administration. Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.20372/ejss.v6i2.572
Section
Articles