Universities urged to give women leadership roles

African Women Studies Centre Director Daisy Amdany and National Gender and Equality Commission CEO Purity Ngina during a during a consultative meeting on participation of women in economic, leadership and management in academic institutions across the country. [Noel Nabiswa, Standard] 

Universities have been challenged to include women in decision-making at the top level of management.

According to Purity Ngina, National Gender and Equality Commission chief executive women hold 37 per cent of positions in government and other organisations.

“When we look at statistics last year following an analysis in ministries, departments and agencies, women hold 37 per cent of the leadership positions,” she said adding that the need to include women in management positions is out of concern that they are not considered.

Ngina spoke during a consultative meeting on the participation of women in economics, leadership and management in academic institutions across the country.

She said statistics reveal that 37 per cent of the positions in departments are held by women which she said it’s below average.

“When we look at statistics last year we were able to analyse over 389 ministries Department and Agencies checking about the matters of equality and inclusion and what we realized is that about 37 per cent is where we have women on top leadership,” said Nginah.

Ngina said that at the university level is where the conversation in regards to gender quality is expected to be carried out, but now it is vice versa because women are involved in lower-ranking positions in the council and not the decision-making positions.

“We did an analysis and you realize that in the council there are universities without any women others have only two women in the council and this is the place you expect matters of equality to have reached before everywhere else,” she said.

According to her, institutions should have structural mentorship programs that will help in achieving equality in future.

 African Women Studies Centre Director Daisy Amdany said in terms of frameworks, the country has a problem with socialization bias especially among the leadership because women are still being overrepresented in lower ranks in the economy as well as leadership.

“There are many factors that contribute to that including the general roles that women play and then the work of a facilitative environment to allow them to thrive as they carry out their gender roles but also in such a way that does not inhibit them from being able to contribute also to the formal economy,” said Amdany.

She added, “With the economic downtown we are not doing well because when our economy underperforms the way it’s doing and knowing that women are mostly in the informal sector and have a very loose relationship with the labour market.”