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GENDER AND LEADERSHIP IN ETHIOPIAN UNIVERSITIES- A STUDY IN SELECTED WORKING PLACES OF ADDIS ABEBA UNIVERSITY, MAIN CAMPUS [Abstract ID: 0404-06]
Despite the availability of many international policies, women are under-represented in senior leadership positions in both developed and developing countries though they achieved better education and workplace over the last half century. In Ethiopia, the issue of gender disparity in leadership is similar to majority of the developing countries and it is wider in the universities. Thus, it is crucial to study gender and leadership in Ethiopian Universities by conducting a survey study on selected working places of Addis Ababa University (AAU), Main Campus which is one of the development agents of the nation. This is done via analyzing gender and leadership in the university by assessing gender issues in its leadership using both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from 289 sample size with 40.5% response rate. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques were used. There is gender gap in leadership of the university. Though it is with low level and at its infant stage, gender equity is being practiced for leadership in the university. The university has well designed but less implemented gender mainstreaming strategies and programs for its leadership aspects. The main challenges for gender equality on leadership of the university include: lack of gender sensitive evaluation system on leadership; gender discrimination on leadership; lack of women empowerment on leadership; lack of gender awareness on gender and leadership; lack of gender disaggregated planning & reporting system; lack of coordination among the gender activities of gender issues on leadership; and lack of gender sensitive policy implementation. The university has opportunities: training and research capacity on gender issues of its leadership; availability of highly professional and interested female staffs who are potential to be leaders; and having ready made local, regional, national and international policies to work on gender equality as well as women empowerment and agreements together with protocols that are signed to address gender gap in all aspects including social, economic, political, etc. aspects of the country. Thus, the University needs to solve its challenges while exploiting its opportunities for its achievement of gender equality on its leadership positions and issues.