Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2021 |
Tipo de documento: | Dissertação |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Texto Completo: | http://hdl.handle.net/10071/23056 |
Resumo: | Gender inequalities and the underrepresentation of women in senior management positions in companies were the motivation for this thesis. The three research objectives aimed to assess the status quo of gender parity, examine institutional factors, and explore the sociocultural barriers that impact women’s pathways to leadership in Kenyan small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ten semi-structured interviews with founders and managers of Kenyan SMEs were undertaken via Zoom call. The findings show that women face substantial prejudice regarding their skills and leadership abilities. The research also identified institutional factors that impact on women’s participation in the workplace. Participants reported that governmental enforcement to execute laws and policies around gender equality and discrimination are very weak. Additionally, the study found that the few women who are at the top are left out of decision making, either because of exclusion from situations where informal decision-making takes place or because women experience dismissal in senior-level meetings. Finally, the research highlighted sociocultural factors as being a large barrier for women attaining and remaining in leadership roles. The subordination of women in society leads to male domination in the workplace. Traditional gender roles require women to take sole responsibility of managing the household, which holds them back from focusing on their career. This study also confirmed the existence of gender backlashes. Sexual harassment was frequently cited as being a common occurrence and women felt this risk increased if they took on leadership positions, which represents yet another barrier to achieving equality in Kenyan SMEs. |
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Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in KenyaGender equalityWomen in leadershipKenyan SMEsGender backlashStereotypesGender rolesWorkplace biasIgualdade de géneroMulheres na liderançaPMEs quenianasReação de géneroEstereótipoPapéis de géneroPreconceito no local de trabalhoGender inequalities and the underrepresentation of women in senior management positions in companies were the motivation for this thesis. The three research objectives aimed to assess the status quo of gender parity, examine institutional factors, and explore the sociocultural barriers that impact women’s pathways to leadership in Kenyan small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ten semi-structured interviews with founders and managers of Kenyan SMEs were undertaken via Zoom call. The findings show that women face substantial prejudice regarding their skills and leadership abilities. The research also identified institutional factors that impact on women’s participation in the workplace. Participants reported that governmental enforcement to execute laws and policies around gender equality and discrimination are very weak. Additionally, the study found that the few women who are at the top are left out of decision making, either because of exclusion from situations where informal decision-making takes place or because women experience dismissal in senior-level meetings. Finally, the research highlighted sociocultural factors as being a large barrier for women attaining and remaining in leadership roles. The subordination of women in society leads to male domination in the workplace. Traditional gender roles require women to take sole responsibility of managing the household, which holds them back from focusing on their career. This study also confirmed the existence of gender backlashes. Sexual harassment was frequently cited as being a common occurrence and women felt this risk increased if they took on leadership positions, which represents yet another barrier to achieving equality in Kenyan SMEs.As desigualdades de género e a sub-representação de mulheres em cargos de chefia nas empresas foram a motivação para esta tese. Os três objetivos da pesquisa visavam avaliar o status quo da paridade de género, examinar fatores institucionais e explorar as barreiras sócio-culturais que afetam o caminho das mulheres para a liderança em pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) do Quénia. Dez entrevistas semiestruturadas com fundadores e gerentes de PMEs quenianas foram empregadas via chamadas na aplicação Zoom. Os resultados mostram que as mulheres enfrentam um preconceito substancial em relação às suas habilidades e capacidade de liderança. A pesquisa também identificou factores institucionais que afetam a participação das mulheres no local de trabalho. Os participantes relataram que a fiscalização governamental para a execução de leis e políticas que buscam a igualdade de género e a antidiscriminação é muito baixa no Quénia. Além disso, do ponto de vista do local de trabalho, o estudo sugere que as poucas mulheres que estão no topo são excluídas da tomada de decisão, seja por causa de situações informais de tomada de decisão ou porque as mulheres são dispensadas em reuniões de alto escalão. Finalmente, a pesquisa destacou os fatores sócioculturais como uma grande barreira para a liderança feminina. A subordinação substancial das mulheres na sociedade leva à dominação masculina no local de trabalho. Os papéis tradicionais de género exigem que as mulheres assumam a responsabilidade exclusiva pela administração da casa, o que as impede de se concentrar em suas carreiras. Este estudo também confirmou a existência de efeitos backlash de género. O assédio sexual foi frequentemente citado como uma ocorrência comum e as mulheres sentiram que esse risco aumentava se assumissem cargos de liderança, o que representa mais uma barreira para alcançar a igualdade nas PMEs quenianas.2021-08-31T14:28:32Z2021-07-28T00:00:00Z2021-07-282021-06info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesisapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10071/23056TID:202758702engFlöttmann, Juliainfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2023-11-09T17:23:01Zoai:repositorio.iscte-iul.pt:10071/23056Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T22:10:35.188835Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
title |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
spellingShingle |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya Flöttmann, Julia Gender equality Women in leadership Kenyan SMEs Gender backlash Stereotypes Gender roles Workplace bias Igualdade de género Mulheres na liderança PMEs quenianas Reação de género Estereótipo Papéis de género Preconceito no local de trabalho |
title_short |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
title_full |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
title_fullStr |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
title_full_unstemmed |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
title_sort |
Examining the barriers and gender backlashes of women’s pathway to leadership in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya |
author |
Flöttmann, Julia |
author_facet |
Flöttmann, Julia |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Flöttmann, Julia |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Gender equality Women in leadership Kenyan SMEs Gender backlash Stereotypes Gender roles Workplace bias Igualdade de género Mulheres na liderança PMEs quenianas Reação de género Estereótipo Papéis de género Preconceito no local de trabalho |
topic |
Gender equality Women in leadership Kenyan SMEs Gender backlash Stereotypes Gender roles Workplace bias Igualdade de género Mulheres na liderança PMEs quenianas Reação de género Estereótipo Papéis de género Preconceito no local de trabalho |
description |
Gender inequalities and the underrepresentation of women in senior management positions in companies were the motivation for this thesis. The three research objectives aimed to assess the status quo of gender parity, examine institutional factors, and explore the sociocultural barriers that impact women’s pathways to leadership in Kenyan small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ten semi-structured interviews with founders and managers of Kenyan SMEs were undertaken via Zoom call. The findings show that women face substantial prejudice regarding their skills and leadership abilities. The research also identified institutional factors that impact on women’s participation in the workplace. Participants reported that governmental enforcement to execute laws and policies around gender equality and discrimination are very weak. Additionally, the study found that the few women who are at the top are left out of decision making, either because of exclusion from situations where informal decision-making takes place or because women experience dismissal in senior-level meetings. Finally, the research highlighted sociocultural factors as being a large barrier for women attaining and remaining in leadership roles. The subordination of women in society leads to male domination in the workplace. Traditional gender roles require women to take sole responsibility of managing the household, which holds them back from focusing on their career. This study also confirmed the existence of gender backlashes. Sexual harassment was frequently cited as being a common occurrence and women felt this risk increased if they took on leadership positions, which represents yet another barrier to achieving equality in Kenyan SMEs. |
publishDate |
2021 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2021-08-31T14:28:32Z 2021-07-28T00:00:00Z 2021-07-28 2021-06 |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis |
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masterThesis |
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dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/10071/23056 TID:202758702 |
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http://hdl.handle.net/10071/23056 |
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TID:202758702 |
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eng |
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eng |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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openAccess |
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application/pdf |
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Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
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