Women in School Leadership Positions: What Are the Contraining Variables in Kibwezi Sub-County, Makueni County, Kenya?

Abstract

This study sought to investigate factors influencing women access to school leadership and variables hindering their effective participation in school leadership. The study adopted the survey research design, guided by the reproduction labour theory. Stratified, purposive and simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 101 participants.  The research instruments used to collect data were the questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. The research instruments were tested for content validity and reliability. The reliability test using a Cronbach alpha yielded a coefficient 0.7 considered to be appropriate for the study. Quantitative data from questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences to generate descriptive statistics. Qualitative data from interview guidelines were analyzed using narrative and grounded theory and reported thematically. The study established that there were multifarious and intertwined variables such as family responsibilities, socio- cultural factors, fear to transfer to other schools and lack of role models, which hindered women from participating in school leadership. It is therefore recommended that strict enforcement of gender policy, gender responsive recruitment practices, and creation of more girls’ and mixed schools to facilitate rapid girl- child access to quality education.

Keywords: School leadership, constraining variables, Kibwezi Sub-County, Kenya