Understanding the Underrepresentation of Women in Senior Management in Africa, in the context of perpetual practices of exclusion in the management ranks
The global workforce that has been experiencing greater challenges in the past two decades specifically related to commitments required to transform gender inequality (ILO, 2016). With the increase of women in the labour market over the past thirty years, research interest grew on understanding the underrepresentation of women in key managerial position largely driven by scholarship in Europe and the West (Omar & Davidson,2001). Consequently knowledge production on women in management have grown exponentially in the West but to a lesser extent in Africa (Nkomo & Ngambi, 2009). Albeit a complex challenge of producing management theory and knowledge in Africa (Nkomo, 2017). Therefore, further research is required in understanding the underrepresentation of women in senior management in Africa (Zama, N. 2016). The objective for this research is to expand our understanding of the exclusionary practices in the management ranks that perpetuate the underrepresentation of women in management. This study addressed several research questions to uncover the subtle and overt practices of exclusion in the management ranks. A phenomenographic research method was followed with a study sample size of 40 to understand the impact of these exclusionary practices on the lived experiences of women in senior management whilst exploring concepts perpetuating the phenomenon (Ajjawi & Higgs, 2007). The chosen research methodology allowed the researcher to make it meaningful for people living the experience and scientifically rigorous for theorizing. It is in uncovering these exclusionary practices that meaningful theories are developed that guide the direction of future research as it is the collective wisdom of scholarship that a deeper understanding of this phenomenon will emerge.
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