PROMOTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION AND BRIDGING GENDER GAPS IN THE PROFESSIONS AND PUBLIC LIFE – ACHIEVEMENTS, RELEVANCE AND PROSPECTS : A CIVIL ENGINEER’S.

PROMOTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION AND BRIDGING GENDER GAPS IN THE PROFESSIONS

AND PUBLIC LIFE – ACHIEVEMENTS, RELEVANCE AND PROSPECTS:

A CIVIL ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVEPresented By

IngIng. Mrs. Rita Ohene Sarfoh

OUTLINE • INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

• ACHIEVEMENTS?

• JOB PERFORMANCE & CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• RELEVANCE OF GENDER MAINSTREAMING

• BEYOND SOCIAL JUSTICE, GENDER MAINSTREAMING RATIONALE

• TRACTION FOR GENDER MAINSTREAMING

• CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION• Addressing the issue of “traction” in gender

mainstreaming – Reflexive experience sharing encounter

– Reviewing & deepening the lessons of past GM actions

– Benchmarking the GM outputs

– Framing guidelines for future GM activities

INTRODUCTION (2)• CE profession and the challenges for women

practitioners

• Male-dominated

• Emphasis on personal experience and observations

• Constrained narrative due to lack of comparable reference

BACKGROUND• Work– Ghana Highway Authority– Largest single employer of civil engineering

professionals in Ghana– Long existence with track record on staff relations and

deep-rooted organizational culture• Personal– Employed with GHA for 16 years, Principal Engineer and

Manager for Environmental Unit, – Council member of Ghana Institution of Engineers– President, Women in Engineering (WINE)– Married with children

ACHIEVEMENTS• Mixed results in GM in CE– Improving enrolment base (KNUST CE Dept) • from 1:35 or 2.8% in 1990 to 17:148 or 11.4% in 2010

– Critically short numbers especially high up the career ladder • No Director, 1 Principal Eng., 2 Senior Eng., 2 Eng., 3 Assist.

Eng., • 0 Tech. Eng., 1 Tech. Eng., 2 Assist. Eng.

– Academic qualifications• 0 PhD; 1 Masters level; 7 Bachelors; 3 HND

– Professional standing• No Fellow; 1 Sen. Member; 5 Member; 2 Graduate

Member; 3 Assoc. Member

ACHIEVEMENTS (2)• In November 1994, only 1 Female Engineer, • Notwithstanding improvements since 1994,

men : women = 121:11 (less than 10%)

• Posting to perceived “soft “ sectors– Preponderance women engineers in Planning Division– Increasing interest in placing women engineers in

Environment and Road Safety

• No woman placed on projects to date (except Accra)– Excuse of conflict between “full time” demands and

women roles

ACHIEVEMENTS (3)• Site constraints– Relocation to other Regions – Facilities – Security

• Arditi and Balci (2009), in project management positions, women = men

– Women bring added value of “sensitivity,” “costumer focus,” and “authority and presence.”

Success of GHA projects being potentially retarded by lack of women project managers

PERFORMANCE & CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Factors for assessing job performance–Clarity of job description and role definition

of engineers–Expectations & Attitudes towards Females–Conditions of service

• Career development–Opportunities–Constraints

• Job description / role definition– No distinctions made between men & women engineers– Intention to curtail women placement outside of Accra

• Expectations and Attitudes – Patronizing attitude of peers and seniors– Ridicule of career development initiatives– Issues of acceptance of capacity • “I cannot allow my wife to work as you do”• “You this small girl......• How can a woman be travelling all the time”

– Lack of respect to women in spite of seniority.

PERFORMANCE & CAREER DEVELOPMENT (2)

• Opportunities for capacity building and career growth higher for women at the early stages of engineering career– Men focusing on “financial stability” and thus giving women

better prospects for access to financial and technical support

– Example: B.Sc. (1993), M.Sc. (2001) MPH (2006); MGhIE (2001)

– Most male contemporaries finished Masters post-2006 and GhIE membership post-2005

• Social constraints imposed on career growth plans– Marriage and Childbirth

• Generally my performance is at par and even better

PERFORMANCE & CAREER DEVELOPMENT (3)

RELEVANCE OF GM• Relevant and affirmative action required in

CE profession because –Presently, the normative gender roles are

based on psychological rationale and not based on individual merit–High incidence of gender disparity in civil

engineering profession, especially in GHA– “Glass ceiling” still in place. No Female

Technical Director in MRH and Agencies

RATIONALE FOR GM POST-SOCIAL JUSTICE

• Work place diversity

• Sustainable organisational and sectoral development–Appreciation of diversified client needs

(different users with different needs)• Example of DANIDA assistance to Konongo-Ejisu

road side vendors

TRACTION FOR GM• Continuous public sensitization and advocacy• Short courses on staff relations • Matrix or task team approach therefore

compelling gender mix• Public interest law and rights based approach• Affirmative action especially for rural and urban

poor and female groups• Constitutional / legislative reviews

Conclusion• Gender Inequality is a reality in CE in Ghana

• Enrolment and Output ≠ Practice

• Mentoring in Educational and Practitioner levels– Women professionals as guest speakers to serve as role models

• Do not Perceive as a woman but Crave to perform

THANK YOUTHANK YOU