Factors Influencing Womens Career Progression To Leadership Positions In Harare City Council Zimbabwe

This study examines the factors influencing womens career progression to leadership positions in Harare City Council. The specific objective was to determine the influence of gender roles on womens career progression to leadership positions in Harare City Council. The target population included management team and permanent staff in the Harare City Council. Data was collected using questionnaires as well as semi structured interviews. A sample size of 116 was determined by using 33 of the population. Data from interviews was analyzed by means of establishing recurring themes and providing narratives of key findings. The collected data from the questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS. The findings revealed that traditional gender roles made the balance between work and family difficult in such a way that some women would prioritize family responsibilities at the expense of focusing on their careers. Furthermore it was revealed that gender roles affected the careers choices they make thus influencing the gender compositions in departments and divisions and consequently those in leadership positions. As a result of study findings the researcher recommends that civil society organizations implement gender deconstruction programs in societies such that women will not be confined to the traditionally expected roles. The researchers expectation is that it will lead to society accepting the concept of stay-at home- dads thus encouraging the acceptance of women as serious career women. It is also recommended that family friendly policies should be put in place in order to minimize the pressure that women experience in trying to balance between work and family. These policies should enable employees especially women to work from home without being physically present at their workplace but monitoring mechanisms should be in place to ensure that work deadlines are met. Furthermore women are encouraged to implement personal strategies that will help them minimize the pressure of trying to balance between work and family life.