PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY FEMALE SECRETARIES IN BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS: A CASE OF KAMPALA CITY COUNCIL AUTHORITY (KCCA) KAMPALA DISTRICT
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces the key study concepts i.e. the background to the study, the research problem, objectives, research questions, study scope and significance of the study.
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
According to Robert, et al. (2011) a secretary, or personal assistant is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills.
The Professional Secretaries International (PSI) also defines a secretary as an executive assistant who has mastery of office skills, demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, exercises initiative and judgement and makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority.
Stenographers and Secretaries are office workers whose jobs primarily require stenographic skills; namely proficiency in taking dictation with shorthand and transcribing it on the typewriter. There are more 3,000,000 persons employed as secretaries in USA representing one out of every six clerical workers (National Careers Service, 2012). And more than 98% of secretaries and stenographers are women (New Age Encyclopedia vol. 13).
The secretarial profession came to Uganda as a whole with the coming of the white men (Colonial Masters). When the white men came to Africa, they needed to communicate with the blacks hence they searched for and made interpreters. These interpreters are indigenes of the various areas they visited. This enables both parties to communicate with each other. Through this, clerks were created by the white men and these clerks were later made secretaries when offices were set up but with little responsibilities. As time went on and with Ugandan independence in particular, Ugandans took over the post from the white men who dominate the profession (Scot & Barbara, 2007).
According to Seebohm, (2001) the word secretary has a lot to do with secrecy. The secretary must be able to keep official secrets without reserve. The secretarial course and profession is now regarded as a course/career for women or female gender while the men go into other profession. Unfortunately, the role of the secretary is quiet understood by most people especially in Uganda. It is therefore follows that most of the problems confronting the secretarial profession arose as a result of misconception by people. They do not seem to understand what secretarial profession entails. Consequently, the female secretaries in this profession are always faced with numerous problems. These problems range from their honor and domestic responsibilities to their jobs, their colleagues, social suspicions, sexual harassment from male bosses, job stress, office politics, lack of recognition in the society due to gender problems, initiation by the male counterparts as they seem to team up with the male bosses against the woman (Asogwu, 2003).
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is the legal entity, established by the Ugandan Parliament that is responsible for the operations of the capital city of Kampala in Uganda. It replaced the Kampala City Council (KCC) (KCCA, 2014). The authority has various departments such as physical planning, works, education, health among others. All these have secretaries with majority being female, however they also face the same challenges that female secretaries face in other organizations such as sexual harassment, intimidations, and discrimination among many more.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
It is the aim of everybody to be an achiever in whatever he/she does in life (Robert III et al. (2011). People in secretarial profession look forward to succeed, but unfortunately, females in this career encounter one problem or the other and for this reason they are not pleased with the job. Some of the problems encountered by female employees in this profession include; Social suspicion, Discrimination in employment, Sexual harassment form the boss, Intimation by the male counterparts, Combination of the office responsibilities and that of home management and others (Robert III et al., 2011). These same problems are also encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) prompting the researcher to undertake the study.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to examine the problems encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
1.4 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To identify, the roles of secretaries in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
- To examine the challenges faced by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
- To establish whether the challenges encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) affect their performance.
- To provide strategies to overcome the challenges or problems encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What are the roles of secretaries in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)?
- What are the challenges faced by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
- Do the challenges encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) affect their performance?
- What strategies can be put in place to overcome the challenges or problems encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)?
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.6.1 Geographical scope
The study will be carried out at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
1.6.2 Content scope
The study will focus on the problems encountered by female secretaries at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) basing on the specific objectives outlined above.
1.6.3 Time scope
The study will cover literature from 2000 to 2015 on the problems encountered by female secretaries in business organisations.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study will help female secretaries in tackling their problems effectively. It will serve as a guide in the improvement of status and working conditions and attitudes towards female secretaries.
It will also help to allay the fears of those intending to go into secretarial profession.
This study will also offer more material to students wishing to make further research on the problems encountered by female secretaries in other organizations.
To add on the above, this study will help to improve the chances of advancement of the female secretaries and also clear the grounds on people’s view of the female secretaries and curb the threat, as well, effect changes on the ill treatment towards secretaries in some organization.
Furthermore, the study will serve as an indicator to employers so as to know how to react to their female secretaries, know the working environment that will be best for maximum efficiency and the entire work of organization.
Finally, it will improve the organization performance generally and give more chances for women empowerment.
