By: Julius Konton
In a rare convergence of scholarship and statecraft, Liberia’s Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., on Saturday officially launched his doctoral dissertation as a published book, placing workplace gender inequality at the center of national and international policy discourse.
The high-profile event, held at Monrovia City Hall, drew senior government officials, academics, civil servants, development partners, and members of the diplomatic community, underscoring the growing urgency of gender equity in Liberia’s public and private sectors.
Dr. Joekai, who also serves as Chair of the Board of the President’s Young Professionals Program (PYPP) and Chairman of the Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HePSNA), described the work as both a scholarly contribution and a reform agenda for Liberia’s labor institutions.
A Data-Driven Look at Gender Inequality
Titled “The Effect of Gender Inequality in Liberian Workplaces: Implications for Employee Performance and Well-Being,” the book is based on original doctoral research conducted at Adler University in partial fulfillment of Dr. Joekai’s Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Using in-depth qualitative interviews and advanced NVivo analytical tools, the study documents the lived experiences of professional women across Liberia’s workforce, revealing entrenched structural barriers that continue to undermine productivity and employee well-being.
According to findings cited in the study:
Women in Liberia earn an estimated 20–30 percent less than men for comparable work, reflecting broader global trends.
Female employees report disproportionately higher levels of workplace stress, exclusion from leadership pipelines, and limited access to professional development.
Gender-based bias contributes directly to lower institutional performance, reduced morale, and higher staff turnover costing organizations millions of dollars annually in lost productivity.
Despite women constituting nearly half of Liberia’s labor force, they remain significantly underrepresented in senior management and decision-making roles, particularly within the public sector.
A Call for Policy Reform and Institutional Accountability
Senior Policy Advisor Immanuel Doe, who reviewed the dissertation during the ceremony, described the work as “one of the most empirically grounded and contextually relevant studies on gender inequality ever produced in Liberia.”
“This is not advocacy rhetoric,” Doe said. “It is evidence-based research with clear policy implications for civil service reform, human resource management, and national gender strategies.”
The official launch was performed by Prof. Dr. Robert M. Kpoto, serving as Chief Patron, while welcome remarks were delivered by Dr. Kumblytee Johnson.
The ceremony also featured musical performances, reflections, and tributes highlighting Dr. Joekai’s dual journey as a scholar and public servant.
Bridging Academia and Governance
What sets the publication apart, observers noted, is the author’s unique position as both researcher and reformer.
As head of the Civil Service Agency, Liberia’s central authority on public sector employment, Dr. Joekai occupies a strategic role in translating research findings into institutional change.
His work provides a practical framework for:
Gender-responsive human resource policies
Performance-driven inclusion strategies
Evidence-based donor programming
Improved employee well-being and productivity
Development partners in attendance noted that the study offers a credible foundation for aligning donor investments with Liberia’s national gender and labor reform agenda.
A Blueprint for Equitable Workplaces
In his remarks, Dr. Joekai emphasized that gender equity is not merely a moral imperative, but an economic necessity.
“No institution can perform at its highest level while systematically excluding or undervaluing half of its workforce,” he said.
“This research is a call to conscience and a roadmap for reform.”
As Liberia continues efforts to modernize its civil service and strengthen governance, the publication is expected to influence policy debates, academic research, and workplace reforms well beyond the country’s borders.
More Than a Book, A National Conversation
Dr. Joekai’s dissertation-turned-book stands as a rare example of scholarship directly shaping governance practice in Liberia.
It reinforces a growing consensus among economists and organizational psychologists that gender-equitable workplaces are more productive, innovative, and resilient.
For many in attendance, the launch marked not just a personal milestone, but a turning point in Liberia’s ongoing struggle for fairness, inclusion, and human dignity in the world of work.
As one senior civil servant remarked quietly after the ceremony:
“This book will outlive us all because it speaks the truth we can no longer afford to ignore.”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
This article examines a rare and consequential intersection of academic research and public governance in Liberia.
At a time when gender equity is often discussed in abstract or political terms, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr.’s work grounds the debate in data, lived experiences, and institutional realities.
What distinguishes this publication is not merely its scholarly rigor, but the author’s position as Liberia’s Director-General of the Civil Service Agency, placing him at the heart of the very system his research critiques.
The findings raise urgent questions about productivity, fairness, and the cost of exclusion in a country where women constitute nearly half of the labor force yet remain largely absent from senior decision-making roles.
As Liberia pursues civil service modernization and governance reform, this book enters the public domain not as an academic exercise, but as a policy instrument one with implications for lawmakers, development partners, and institutional leaders alike.
The Editor considers this work a timely contribution to a national and global conversation on how equitable workplaces are not only morally just, but economically essential.
The views expressed are grounded in empirical research and are presented in the interest of informed public debate and reform.
