A Rethinking of the Organizational Cultural Practices and Mentorship as Barriers of Female Teachers Ascending to Principalship in Kenya

Abstract

The focus of this study was to examine the organizational cultural practices and mentorship as barriers that female school principals encounter in Kenya as they ascend to principalship. The study objectives were: To establish the influence of organizational cultural practices on upward mobility of secondary school female teachers, and to ascertain the influence of mentorship on female upward mobility to management positions. The target population for this study was 825 (N) persons, from which a sample size 376(n) respondents comprising of;  76 female principals, 78 male principals, 178 deputy female principals, 22 sub-county education officers, and 22 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers were picked and used in the study.  The study used questionnaires and interview guides to collect requisite data and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. The study established that: Organizational cultural practices played a critical role in locking female teachers out of management positions and absence of mentors in school organizations was found to be detrimental to women empowerment. The study recommends that school organizations should: embrace gender mainstreaming which will counter biased organizational cultures, put mechanisms in place to ensure that mentoring is anchored within their frameworks.

Keywords: Organizational cultural practices, Principalship, Mentorship