dc.description.abstract | Despite the key role played by women in social and economic development,
gender differences in education and formal employment have continued to retard
the female potential in favor of their male counterparts. Consequently, this study
sought to investigate the influence of institutional practices on women lecturers’
progression to management positions in Liberia based on the perspectives of the
University of Liberia. The study sought to determine the influence of women
lecturer mentors, administrative support, implementation of internal affirmative
action policy, and promotion criteria on women lecturers’ progression to top
management. The study employed a descriptive research methodology that
incorporated survey techniques in collecting data from target respondents, who
were employees of the University of Liberia using both structured questionnaires
and interview guide. The survey sample consisted of all full time lecturers and
senior administrators at the University of Liberia. Purposive sampling was used as
a guide to selecting women senior administrators of the university while simple
random sampling was used to select male administrators. Stratified random
sampling was used to select lecturers. A total of 168 respondents comprising of 1
president, 5 vice presidents, 10 heads of academic programmes, and 152 lecturers
participated in the survey. The questionnaire return rate was 95.2% Data collected
was coded, input into, and analyzed using SPSS statistical analysis software
Version 20. For qualitative data, content analysis of documentary and verbal
material was used for analysis while quantitative data was analyzed using both
descriptive and inferential statistics to give frequency counts, percentages, and
correlation coefficients between study variables. The findings are presented in
frequency tables and charts. The study revealed that mentorship, administrative
support, internal affirmative action policy and promotion criteria are principal
factors that influence women lecturers’ progression to management positions at
the University of Liberia, and that their expected outcomes can be negated by
marginalization and bureaucracy. Key conclusion of the study is that, academic
qualification, experience, hard work and diligence were necessary for women to
progress to management positions. The study, therefore, recommends that besides
women taking initiative to develop better working and networking relationships
with other women, enforcement mechanisms for more affirmative action of
mentorship and review of promotion criteria with a bias to female leading should
be undertaken by the university. | en_US |