Equal Opportunities in Educational Management in Institutions of Higher Learning: An Agenda for Gender

Abstract

The article discusses the issue of gender disparities within education which have been long standing in many parts of the world. The discussion centres on the need for educational management boards to balance the selection and ranking of administrative-cum-managerial staff by practising non discrimination and by ensuring equal rights in the appropriate steps to higher positions of management, based on the notion of meritocracy and gender representation. Relevant examples have been drawn from the Zimbabwean context. Concerns about gender disparities within education have been long standing in many parts of the world (Davies 1990, Dorsey et al 1989, Gray 1989, Shakeshaft 1887, Saint 1992). Major differences of status and position, have divided men and women teachers throughout. Recently, the issue of equity in educational administration has become of increasing concern to educational policy makers, especially in developing countries. For example, in a review of the national planning documents of a number of countries, Davies (1990) found that inequality in the workplace was a key consideration of their governments. As she noted, although most developing countries refer to equality and egalitarianism in their policy documents, they have done very little to fulfil these noble objectives. In Zimbabwe, for instance, teaching has remained a male dominated profession, as shown by the fact that at 2003, the 15% women secondary school heads in the country were drawn from only 42% women secondary school teachers. The figures at primary school level were even more disproportionate, with only 5% of the school heads being female, drawn from a 50% female teaching force nationwide (Zimbabwe Government 1994). Within the organisational structures and processes of the educational institutions themselves, gender plays a much larger role than is often realised. Indeed, until recently when women began to speak out loudly about their concerns about being marginalised, gender issues in education in the developing countries remained largely un-addressed and, therefore, unresolved. Because of the growing agitation of the issues by women, it is no longer possible for governments to ignore them. That the marginalisation