Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi
The study aims to understand the constraints to women’s equal participation in the roads sector inMalawi to inform the development of interventions to promote gender equality in the sector. The study adopts a career cycle approach that allows to id...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/976371556890275822/Making-Inroads-for-Women-A-Qualitative-Study-on-Constraints-and-Opportunities-of-Women-s-Equal-Participation-in-the-Roads-Sector-in-Malawi http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31656 |
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okr-10986-316562021-05-25T09:23:45Z Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi World Bank GENDER GENDER DISPARITY SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL NORMS JOB QUALITY ROADS TRANSPORT JOBS GENDER HIRING BIAS ENGINEERING STUDENTS The study aims to understand the constraints to women’s equal participation in the roads sector inMalawi to inform the development of interventions to promote gender equality in the sector. The study adopts a career cycle approach that allows to identify and describe the barriers to career progression for women in the roads sector at each stage in the career cycle focusing on: attraction, selection, retention, and advancement. The study employs qualitative research methods consisting of focus group discussions with women and girls along the career cycle in the roads sector and key informant interviews. The study has yielded insights into the multiple and overlapping factors embedded in the socialization, learning and hiring processes that result inhigh rates of attrition of women in the engineering and roads-related technical field at different stages of the career cycle, often called the “leaky pipeline” in policy discussions about women in STEM. From secondary school through university and vocational schools, female students report less confidence and aspiration in engineering and vocational training in the roads sector. At the selection stage, women face gender bias in hiring and difficult work environment, representing an exodus of talent among women who could otherwise become the next generation of architects, engineers, and roads sector contractors. At the retention and advancement phase women confront a difficult work environment where women are sidelined from career advancement opportunities, face sexual harassment and have difficulty balancing work and family obligations in a sector wheremany of the opportunities are in remote locations. The roads sector in Malawi offers opportunitiesfor women: opportunities in the forms of generating substantial incomes, designing transport infrastructure to foster socio-economic development, and providing role models for the young women of the future. Increasing the gender balance in the roads sector requires a comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach and one that needs to address the underlying causes that subtly results in gender stereotypes and gendered occupational cultures and career choices. The table summarizes the key study findings and core set of actions to help women overcome the obstacles at different stages of the career cycle targeting women at all age groups. 2019-05-08T20:12:21Z 2019-05-08T20:12:21Z 2019-05-01 Report http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/976371556890275822/Making-Inroads-for-Women-A-Qualitative-Study-on-Constraints-and-Opportunities-of-Women-s-Equal-Participation-in-the-Roads-Sector-in-Malawi http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31656 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Economic & Sector Work :: Women in Development and Gender Study Africa Malawi |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
GENDER GENDER DISPARITY SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL NORMS JOB QUALITY ROADS TRANSPORT JOBS GENDER HIRING BIAS ENGINEERING STUDENTS |
| spellingShingle |
GENDER GENDER DISPARITY SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL NORMS JOB QUALITY ROADS TRANSPORT JOBS GENDER HIRING BIAS ENGINEERING STUDENTS World Bank Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Malawi |
| description |
The study aims to understand the
constraints to women’s equal participation in the roads
sector inMalawi to inform the development of interventions
to promote gender equality in the sector. The study adopts a
career cycle approach that allows to identify and describe
the barriers to career progression for women in the roads
sector at each stage in the career cycle focusing on:
attraction, selection, retention, and advancement. The study
employs qualitative research methods consisting of focus
group discussions with women and girls along the career
cycle in the roads sector and key informant interviews. The
study has yielded insights into the multiple and
overlapping factors embedded in the socialization, learning
and hiring processes that result inhigh rates of attrition
of women in the engineering and roads-related technical
field at different stages of the career cycle, often called
the “leaky pipeline” in policy discussions about women in
STEM. From secondary school through university and
vocational schools, female students report less confidence
and aspiration in engineering and vocational training in the
roads sector. At the selection stage, women face gender bias
in hiring and difficult work environment, representing an
exodus of talent among women who could otherwise become the
next generation of architects, engineers, and roads sector
contractors. At the retention and advancement phase women
confront a difficult work environment where women are
sidelined from career advancement opportunities, face sexual
harassment and have difficulty balancing work and family
obligations in a sector wheremany of the opportunities are
in remote locations. The roads sector in Malawi offers
opportunitiesfor women: opportunities in the forms of
generating substantial incomes, designing transport
infrastructure to foster socio-economic development, and
providing role models for the young women of the future.
Increasing the gender balance in the roads sector requires a
comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach and one that needs
to address the underlying causes that subtly results in
gender stereotypes and gendered occupational cultures and
career choices. The table summarizes the key study findings
and core set of actions to help women overcome the obstacles
at different stages of the career cycle targeting women at
all age groups. |
| format |
Report |
| author |
World Bank |
| author_facet |
World Bank |
| author_sort |
World Bank |
| title |
Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| title_short |
Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| title_full |
Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| title_fullStr |
Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Making Inroads for Women : A Qualitative Study on Constraints and Opportunities of Women’s Equal Participation in the Roads Sector in Malawi |
| title_sort |
making inroads for women : a qualitative study on constraints and opportunities of women’s equal participation in the roads sector in malawi |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/976371556890275822/Making-Inroads-for-Women-A-Qualitative-Study-on-Constraints-and-Opportunities-of-Women-s-Equal-Participation-in-the-Roads-Sector-in-Malawi http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31656 |
| _version_ |
1764474838209003520 |