Implementation of gender poicies in advancement of women to headship in Kenya public primary schools a case of Kisauni Division Mombasa County, Kenya.

Abstract

The participation of women in management especially at senior positions is world-wide concern. This is because of gender gap that exists in management in relation to opportunities. Although women are the majority in the world, research indicates that they are greatly underrepresented in educational management at all levels worldwide. In Kenya, although the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employs and promotes teachers on equal terms without gender discrimination, male teachers dominate headship positions in public primary schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of gender policies in advancement of women to headship positions in Kenya public primary schools. The study recommended that no school should have head and deputy teachers of same gender. The objectives of the study were to find out: current and previous practices used to appoint primary school heads; perceptions of female and male teachers in the appointment of head teachers; challenges faced by female teachers in ascending to headship; strategies used by female teachers to increase their numbers in headship positions. The research questions were: what are the current and previous practices in headship appointments in primary level? What are the female and male teachers’ perceptions on the appointments of head teachers? What strategies do female teachers have to increase their numbers in headship position? The significance of this study is to highlight that there is gender imbalance in primary school headship. The appointing authorities should embrace the gender policy to bring about gender equity in primary headship. The study was guided by the social role theory by George Mead who proposed that one’s behavior and dispositions are determined by a set of socially determined roles. The study employed a mixed research design, comprising of a case study and cross-sectional approaches. The study population sample comprised of 120 teachers, one District Education Officer (DEO), 4 School Management Committee (SMC) chairpersons and 12 head teachers from all the 28 primary schools in Kisauni division. The study revealed that 76%of male and 77% of female teacher the participants said women were too busy while 62% of male and 53% of female teachers said women fear transfers associated with promotions. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers while different in- depth interview guides were used to collect data from head teachers, SMC chairpersons, and DEO. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5, and presented using frequency tables and percentages while qualitative data was analyzed and presented in narrative and themes.