Seeking culturally attentive career advancement strategies for women: perspectives from Zimbabwean women

Abstract

There is scarcity of information on women managers in Zimbabwe despite the fact that women have entered the workforce in large numbers. This study offers a preliminary analysis of Zimbabwean women managers. This exploratory study locates women managers within the context of gender relations and culture in Zimbabwe and analyzes several factors that enabled a select group of senior-level Zimbabwean women to hold senior positions. This study is grounded in the social constructivist philosophy. Social constructivism was selected as the paradigm because it provides the interpretive framework within which the research questions could be explored. The research design involved phenomenological interviews using semi-structured open ended in-depth interviews. Ten women from different backgrounds and a cross-section of public, private, non-profit and other organizations were interviewed. The site was urban Zimbabwe, particularly Harare. With more women entering the Zimbabwean workforce, knowledge of strategies to advance women in the workforce is of critical value to Zimbabwe's development. The findings suggest that the culture in Zimbabwe has not changed much; hence the implementation of women advancement strategies borrowed from the west has not been sustainable because they are not compatible with Zimbabwean realities. The study suggests career advancement strategies that incorporate cultural dimensions of gender in the society. It views culture and its interaction with other systems, as a basis for women's advancement strategies. The study has policy implications for the implementation of sustainable career advancement strategies for women.