Gender inequality in the Science and Technology Universities of Ethiopia: policy representations and experiences of women

In this thesis, I explore the problem of gender inequality in the STEM disciplines in higher education in Ethiopia. I do so by examining how gender inequality is represented in relevant policies directed to higher education vis-à-vis the lived experiences of women academics and students in two science and technology universities. To do so, I employ a critical policy analysis approach, alongside interviews and focus group discussions with government and university officials as well as women academics and students of Adama and Addis Ababa Science and Technology Universities. My data analysis is informed by three intersecting theoretical frameworks: the two-dimensional theory of gender justice (Fraser, 2003, 2013), the theory of gendered organisation (Acker, 1990, 2012) and the concept of institutional betrayal (Smith & Freyd, 2013, 2014). The results provide strong support for the finding that gender inequality in the Science and Technology Universities is a multidimensional and complex problem. The problem is both numerical - that is, there is a gender disparity in favour of men; and insidious, in that there is a prevalent misrecognition of women which impedes their equitable participation and progression. The analysis also reveals that both the problem of gender inequality and the complex gendered institutional structure, practices and culture that underpin its perpetuation are misrepresented in policies directed to higher education. Because of this misrepresentation, the problem is either treated as an extraneous policy issue or it is narrowly and reductively construed as a mere problem of numerical gender disparity. Furthermore, implicating women as sources of the persistent problem, the policies characteristically attempt to `fix' women and not the institutional culture. Drawing on these findings this thesis argues that the policy misrepresentation contributes to the perpetuation of gender inequality by condoning the structural and institutional problems that (re)produce gender inequalities and, as a result, misdirects and forestalls much needed interventions to promote gender equality.