Affirmative action is a practice that redresses discrimination in society and is therefore meant to promote equal opportunities between men and women. The purpose of this study was to examine the public perception of affirmative action on women recruitment and career development in organizations within Eldoret municipality. The study objectives were to establish: the public perceptions about affirmative action, the contribution of affirmative action on women career development, the extent to which affirmative action has been incorporated in recruitment of women and the relationship between affirmative action and organization performance. The study was guided by Rawls theory of Justice (1971) which states that all social primary goods - liberty and opportunity, income, jobs and wealth, and the bases of self-respect be distributed equally and there should be no differences and/or discrimination except those that can be justified on grounds of competence.
The research employed an Expost Facto Survey research design, which was deemed appropriate because it handles situations or events that have already occurred, examines variables with the same characteristics and does not manipulate the variables. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the organizations for study. The respondents were picked using simple random sampling. Eight organizations were selected. A sample size of 255 respondents was selected but 210 questionnaires were returned and 8 interviews done. Questionnaires and interviews were used in data collection.
Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively facilitated by the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Data was presented in frequency tables, graphs and pie charts.
An inferential statistic technique, the chi-square test and Mann Whitney U-test were used to test the hypothesis at ≤ 0.05 level of significance. The hypotheses that an affirmative action policy does not affect significantly recruitment policies in organization and affirmative action does not enhance women career development were tested.
The results from the study indicate that there is perverse inequality in employment since men are more represented than women in almost all employment categories. Affirmative action is perceived as the most ambitious attempt to put right the long history of gender discrimination. It was noted that women tend to lag behind their male counterparts in career development. The respondents proposed recruitment by performance.
Table of Contents
- CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
- Statement of the Problem
- Research Objectives
- Research Questions
- Research Hypotheses
- Significance of the Study
- Limitations of the Study
- Scope of the Study
- Theoretical Framework
- CHAPTER TWO
- LITERATURE REVIEW
- Introduction
- Public Perception about Affirmative Action
- Contribution of Affirmative action to Women Career Development
- Recruitment policies and procedures
- Affirmative action policies and procedures
- The relationship between affirmative action and organization performance
- Critical reviews about affirmative action
- Summary
- CHAPTER THREE
- RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
- Introduction
- Research Design
- Research Area
- Target population
- Sampling Design and Procedures
- Data collection
- Questionnaires
- Interview Schedule
- Validity of Research Instruments
- Reliability of Research Instruments
- Administration of Research Instruments
- Data Analysis
Objectives and Key Themes
The study aims to investigate public perceptions of affirmative action regarding women’s recruitment and career development within organizations in Eldoret Municipality. This includes understanding the public's views on affirmative action, its contribution to women's career advancement, the extent of its integration into recruitment practices, and the correlation between affirmative action and organizational performance.- Public perception of affirmative action
- Contribution of affirmative action to women's career development
- Extent of affirmative action implementation in women's recruitment
- Relationship between affirmative action and organizational performance
- Gender disparities in employment and career advancement
Chapter Summaries
Chapter One provides an introduction to the study, outlining the background, problem statement, research objectives, questions, and hypotheses. The significance, limitations, scope, and theoretical framework are also discussed. Chapter Two presents a review of relevant literature pertaining to public perception of affirmative action, its impact on women's career development, and its relationship to organizational performance. Chapter Three delves into the research design and methodology employed in the study, including the research design, target population, sampling techniques, data collection methods, and data analysis procedures.
Keywords
This study focuses on affirmative action, public perception, women's recruitment, career development, organizational performance, gender inequality, and employment practices. The research utilizes Rawls' theory of justice as a theoretical framework to examine the distribution of opportunities and resources in a fair and equitable manner.- Quote paper
- Tabitha Wangare (Author), Dr. John Boit (Author), Mr. John Magero (Author), 2009, Affirmative Action: A Kenyan Case, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/184461
