Let’s Talk About Gender: Equality Among Men and Women

Gender inequality still happens every day at home, workplaces, in the media, in schools, etc.

According to UNESCO, gender refers to the role and responsibilities of men and women that are created in our families, our societies, and our culture. The concept of gender also includes the expectations held about the characteristics and behaviors of both men and men.

Gender inequality, therefore, means that women and men do not have equal conditions for realizing their full potential human rights and for contributing to and benefitting from economic, social, cultural, and political development. It is the process of being unfair to men and women

The latest Global Gender Gap Report 2021 by the World Economic Forum, ranked Kenya at position 95 out of 156, down from position 73 in 2006, and this is mainly because of the slips in education and economic involvement of women.

There have been several campaigns for ending gender inequality in the country. Some studies such as the World Bank survey carried out last year show that the gap has been closed and both men and women now have equal opportunities as they should.

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At the ground level, however, things are different. There is still a big disparity gap and preference of male to the female gender.

Women are still not viewed as all-around in almost all the sectors in the country although there are also activities believed that only the female gender can perfect.

Yes, there are opportunities but the levels of these opportunities are different for both genders. According to KNBS, most women have been condemned to low-paid sectors while men dominate the high-paid sectors, worsening the opportunities gap.

The data points out that the female is majorly pre-dominant in household and social work activities by 60.6 percent and 57.7 percent, respectively. On the other hand, men dominate the high-paying sectors such as manufacturing and real estate by 79.6 percent and 76.1 percent, respectively.

This shows just how one’s gender still determines the type of work and place to be in the country.

Although there has been improvement in the last few decades, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the UN women still found that women and girls are facing disparate effects when compared to men around jobs And income, gender-based violence, and education.

As highlighted in goal number five of the Sustainable Development goals of the Jubilee manifesto, gender equality in schools, workplaces, and other areas has been the biggest focus lately.

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However, underrepresentation, unbalanced education, pervasive social norms, employment discrimination, and physical or sexual violence are just but some of the biggest challenges that women face daily. Although some may also apply to men but to a very negligible percentage.

According to Geopoll’s research in collaboration with the UN Women 2021, women who often carry the burden of childcare are therefore more likely to fall behind in school or careers due to covid 19 and the disruptions it has caused.

Under the constitutional two-thirds gender rule in Kenya, the dominant gender should only occupy 66.66 percent of the public offices but currently, men dominate even the National Assembly as only 59 out of 349 are female.

There are claims that it’s women who don’t exploit their full potential but the real fact is that even in trying to do this they still have to choose to either fall into traps set for them or end up not fulfilling the per said goal.

This issue is almost discussed everywhere in the country from social media platforms to radio stations, television channels, and even written in newspapers and magazines until it becomes normal and people no longer pay attention to it.

Some years back there have been complaints from men that the girlchild has been over-empowered and it’s now time to also look at the boy child who they feel is neglected.

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The situations and conditions surrounding the girlchild cannot be compared to the boychild and that’s why most of the efforts have been on the girlchild. It’s not like the male is neglected, to some extent they are not as vulnerable as the female and that is an undeniable fact.

And the fact that the gender inequality topic has been discussed widely has not brought forth satisfying results because there is no serious implementation.

Am surprised at how the Ministry of Finance did not exempt Always from taxation and yet free the baby diapers in the 2021 budget, considering that this is still one major reason why the girlchild is facing inequality reactions, both young and middle-aged who cannot afford to buy.

Anyways, the only thing that could bring difference that we desire is an implementation of what we discuss and write at the different levels in the country.

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To achieve gender inclusion, the different stakeholders must make concerted efforts to improve, whether government, commercial sectors, communities, or individuals. Gender equality should be part of training in education and awareness campaigns. Clear policies for gender put in place should be implemented in actions and not just words. lastly, the country should strive for better gender representation in politics.