Drivers of Gender Imbalance in the Senior Management at the Parliamentary Service Commission of Kenya
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Date
2024-05
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
This study examined the drivers of gender imbalance in the senior management at the
Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) of Kenya. Although there have been several
studies focussing on gender inequalities among the political leadership in Kenya,
minimal attention has been given to the senior management at the PSC. The objectives
of this study were to look into how promotion criteria, organizational politics, and
corporate norms drive gender imbalance in the leadership of the PSC specifically at the
senior management level. The study was guided by a descriptive research design. The
research was anchored on the Skills theory of Leadership, which posits that skills,
which can be acquired through training and experience, are the determinant of who can
be considered as a leader, and the African Feminism theory, which takes into account
the experiences of women leaders within the African context. The population of study
was the permanent and pensionable employees of the PSC, and the study site was the
Parliament of Kenya Buildings located in Nairobi County. The random stratified
sampling method was used to select the respondents. This ensured that information was
collected from different cadres in all three Services of the PSC and was, therefore,
representative of the whole population. In addition, purposive sampling was used to
select those in leadership positions who were expected to have key information on the
study. Data was collected using an interview schedule and a structured questionnaire.
Responses from 60 individuals from the targeted 87 were received. The data collected
from the interviews was analysed using the content analysis method and, thereafter,
coded. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the questionnaire responses thus
showing patterns in the responses. Thereafter, the Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyse the coded and summarised data showing
the extent to which the independent variables of promotion criteria, organizational
politics and corporate norms drove the dependent variable of gender imbalance in the
senior management at the PSC. Regression analysis on the variables revealed that only
promotion criteria had a significant effect on the gender imbalance at the PSC with Sig=
.014< .05 while organizational politics and corporate norms did not have a statistically
significant effect on gender imbalance at PSC with Sig=.110>.05 and Sig =.467> .05
respectively. The study, therefore, recommended that inclusive promotion criteria
should be fostered to help in reducing gender imbalance at the PSC. Further, the PSC
should consider using affirmative action in the selection of their senior management to
achieve the constitutional two-thirds gender principle. Another recommendation is that
the PSC needs to implement and publicize its gender policy, as provided for in its
Strategic Plan. The study also acknowledges the importance of coaching and
mentorship programs in moulding women’s perceptions of themselves as leaders.
Description
A Research Project Submitted To the School Of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Public Policy And Administration, Kenyatta University, May 2024.
Supervisor
Felix Kiruthu