Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa whose diverse landscape encompasses the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains and immense Lake Victoria. Its abundant wildlife includes chimpanzees as well as rare birds. Remote Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a renowned mountain gorilla sanctuary. Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest is known for its 43m tall waterfall and wildlife, such as hippos. According to the World Bank, its population is estimated at 47.12 million people. Uganda is populated by dozens of ethnic groups, with about 56 tribes with English as the official language.
Uganda’s female population is approximately 23.88 million compared to men, which is 23.24 million, which makes the percentage of females 50.68%. Gender issues have made some women become breadwinners in their respective households, despite tradition and religion acknowledging men as the breadwinners. Some women carry out different activities in their homesteads to ensure the progress and stability of their homes. This reflection will address women’s need for greater negotiation power, especially regarding the work-home balance.
Realty on the Ground
At the national level, women in Uganda comprise 43% of the cabinet, occupying 33% of parliamentary seats and 46% at the local government level. Like in many other countries, women in Uganda have the right to vote and stand for elections as men and gender issues are encompassed under the 2006 Uganda National Gender Policy. These policies have seen Uganda register some progress in reducing gender inequalities and vulnerabilities through social protection programs like the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP), the Youth Livelihoods Program (YLP), Labor Works Program, and Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE), among others.
However, there is a need to negotiate for the power of women because while these policies and programs have expanded opportunities to attain gender equity and equality, gender biases remain. For instance, most women work as contributing family workers, that is, shop attendants, babysitters, and own personal businesses compared to men. In addition, the share of men in paid employment doubles that of women. Due to lifelong discrimination and job stereotyping, most women work in low-paying and lower-status jobs with little decision-making or bargaining power (Dhanaraj & Mahambare, 2022).
The increase in ownership of agricultural land by the women contributes to reduced sexual and physical abuse and, later, an increase in quality of life. Nonetheless, agricultural land ownership remains a male domain in Uganda despite evidence showing that women, boys and girls work more on the farms.
Even though the trend among men and women across the main job category is not different, biases arise when a critical look is taken at the distribution of men and women within each job category. For instance, while men and women were less of employers, the sex distribution shows that more men, over 70 per cent on average, were employers by almost threefold compared to women.
Gender inequalities limit the ability of women and girls to participate in fully and benefit from development programs in Uganda. Formal and informal institutions, such as patriarchy, religion, family, marriage, and social and cultural practices, play a major role in the continued promotion of gender inequalities in Uganda. Prominent in perpetuating these inequalities are the alarming differences in asset ownership and employment opportunities for women and men and the infamous Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which is higher among women.
Concrete Steps & Logic Behind These Steps
Northouse (2019) argues that “beyond work-home issues, negotiations for valued positions, experiences, and resources are important social interactions on the road to top leadership positions” (p.524). Thus, another approach to reducing the leadership gap is to enhance women’s negotiation power and restructure negotiations to their advantage. For example, research has shown that negotiation is laden with gendered connotations. One approach would be to reframe negotiation situations in no gendered terms, such as “asking” situations (Northouse, 2019).
A wise man once said, “when women lead, transformation follows” (Northouse). With that in mind, we are likely to see more women in elite leadership roles with changes in workplace norms and developmental opportunities for women; greater gender equity in domestic responsibilities; greater negotiation power of women; especially regarding the work-home balance; effectiveness and predominance of women-owned businesses; changes in gendered language when negotiating; equal representation in leadership roles; restructuring current workplace policies towards empowering female staff members; incentives from governments or corporates optioned towards increased female presence in elite positions.; media campaigns which challenge gender constructs; constructive male involvement on issues which affect female empowerment at home or the workplace; positive influence from male counterparts willing to mentor female counterparts or make introductions or network possibilities for them (Northouse, 2019).
Also, Northouse (2019) argues that “changes are also taking place at more macro-organizational and societal levels that will contribute to greater gender equality in leadership” (p 527). For instance, changes in organizational culture; more women’s career development initiatives; increased mentorship opportunities for women; increased numbers of women in strategic positions within organizations; greater support from both the public and private sectors towards women initiatives, such as affirmative action policies or initiatives specifically designed to target female workforce, female entrepreneurship clusters; funding platforms specifically designed towards projects initiated by female entrepreneurs or academics, etc. (p.527).
Overcoming Resistance
Introducing change takes time to take shape. Illiteracy and ignorance are attributed to the leading cause of inequalities, a more reason for the need to negotiate for the power of women, especially regarding work-home balance. With seminars, workshops and outreaches, the population can understand the power of fully equipping women and having them treated as men, balancing both home and work chores which will bring development at home, in the community and as a nation at large. Some communities which have understood that it does not kill a man if he goes to the kitchen or a woman too can be a director of an organization have experienced development and growth, which Uganda also needs. Accountability systems in both public and private sectors should be enforced in order to ensure that leaders, regardless of gender, are not favoured but rather held responsible for their actions, delivery of results and decision-making mechanisms. Operational decentralization, which allows communities with the inclusiveness of female representation, should also be an important tool for powering negotiations, especially around the mentioned issues. The population should be aware of the gaps created whereby one gender is favoured while another is neglected. This does not facilitate their appraisal processes or employee engagement but weakens systems where such discrimination exists. Creative solutions should be made available to embrace diversity through increased access to education across the board so that everyone is aware of the abilities of male counterparts, and solidarity between male subordinates must be enhanced towards achieving set objectives (Northouse, 2022).
In conclusion, equality between men and women must attract policies which act as motivation tools towards productivity increments within any organization or system. Negotiations should not be biased on a gender basis but rather on a result basis. This ensures fairness across all levels within any setup, especially around issues like the abovementioned work-home balance. Structural changes regarding the equitable distribution of family duties should also be considered, and legislation should be set up to prevent discrimination based on gender preference when it comes to the choice of leaders or access to educational opportunities. Therefore, it is a comprehensive understanding that women may come through if only these noted interventions are applied effectively.
References
Dhanaraj, S., & Mahambare, V. (2022). Male backlash and female guilt: Women’s employment and intimate partner violence in urban India. Feminist economics, 28(1), 170-198.
Northouse, Peter G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice Ninth edition Chapter 14: Women in Leadership Roles SAGE Publications Incorporated; Edition: 9th edition
Northouse, P., G.(2022). Leadership: Theory And Practice Thirteenth edition
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