by Laura Darcey
Deeply ingrained traditional gender roles mean that despite recent efforts to reduce gender inequality, male and female children are treated differently in many communities in rural Kenya.
In 2021, Kenya was ranked 128th in the Gender Inequality Index by the United Nations based on reproductive health 1 , empowerment and participation in the labour market. Progress towards gender equality has been hampered by the inadequate implementation of laws, inadequate funding, weak accountability, and the slow transformation of discriminatory and patriarchal gender norms, attitudes and practices 2 .
These differences start at birth. Many girls and boys in Kenya have reasonably separate upbringings, each learning the duties and obligations specific to their gender 3 .
The Girl-child
Girls are taught from a young age that their future is in the home. They complete a significant list of chores each day, assisting their mother in caring for the home and younger siblings in preparation to one day run their own household. In rural areas that lack modern appliances, these chores can be extremely time consuming, with women and girls carrying water and firewood long distances to provide for their families 4 .
With her future in the home, a girl must be prepared to be wed. The more appealing a girl is to potential husbands, the greater the dowry her family will receive. This is particularly important for families living in poverty, who may marry off a daughter to relieve their financial burden. The ideal wife is submissive, obedient and content to enjoy the status of her husband. Young women who are too outspoken can be deemed unsuitable for marriage 5 .
When a daughter is married, she will leave the family home to live with the family of her new husband. This means that any investment made in a daughter will ultimately benefit another household 6 . Kenyan girls are taught to excel in housework, take care of the children, fetch water, and keep their homes tidy, all of which benefit their families in the short-term and make them appealing as wives. Education is of little priority 7 .
Barriers to Education
When money is tight, families are unlikely to prioritise educating their daughters. Not only will the future gains of their education benefit the family of her future husband, but there is an additional opportunity cost to their education. Girls play such a fundamental role in completing household tasks, and providing care for younger siblings and the infirmed, some families cannot afford to have her time occupied elsewhere. If a family sends their daughter to school, they must pay the fees associated with attendance, and forego the unpaid domestic labour their daughter contributes to the household 8 .
Education can also make a girl less attractive for marriage. In some regions, families wish to protect their daughters from contact with outside ideas and cultures. Parents can discourage ‘too much’ education, believing that an educated girl may find it more difficult to find a husband and be a good wife 9 .
The Boy-child
Boys are also prepared for their future, taught that they will one day be the leader of their household. A son will inherit his father’s role when he is old enough to do so, making decisions concerning the family structure and economy, leaving the daily household responsibilities to the women. While boys will have chores of their own, they grow up with fewer obligations than their sisters. They are not allowed to engage in traditionally female roles and are socialised to expect the women to work for them 10 .
Even when money is tight, families prioritise the education of the boy-child. Some parents believe that boys are more intelligent and that they will perform better in school 11 , but either way, parents will inevitably reap more of the returns when they invest in a son’s education as he will remain a part of their family even after marriage. Boys need to be prepared to become the man of the house and support their family financially 12 , so their education is deemed more important.
But this responsibility can be burdensome for young boys, and many feel a huge weight on their shoulders from a young age. They are taught that masculinity is closely associated with self-control and dignity. They are expected to not express any emotions or weakness, instead to be brave, and suffer in silence 13 . Such responsibility can be difficult to deal with.
Gender Inequality in the Classroom
Schools have the power to either empower the girls in their classrooms or fall back on existing inequitable gender norms.
Girls receive constant messages about their place in society with their textbooks portraying women as passive, meek, nurturers of children and households, home- keepers and good wives to their husbands. Men are conversely portrayed as leaders, thinkers and creative minds. Boys are uplifted and inspired, while girls are told they have less potential than their male peers 14 .
A study found teachers claim to teach all pupils equally irrespective of gender. Researchers saw that this assertion was false, as teachers gave male students favourable treatment. Nonetheless, a gender-blind approach to teaching is not appropriate in Kenyan schools, as female students face different challenges and have different needs to male students, and should be treated accordingly. Boys in the classroom tend to be more confident, raising their hands and actively participating in a lesson. Girls were more likely to shy away from questioning and participation 15 . More work is therefore required from teachers to draw female students into classroom discussion.
The same study interrogated the gender stereotypes held by male and female students. They described men as being intellectual, competent, strong and brave, while women were described as homely, warm and expressive, incompetent and passive 16 . Students’ perceptions of girls’ capabilities are mouldable. When teachers encouraged and engaged girls, they began to believe in themselves, develop skills and were more likely to choose careers that offered them the best chances of employment. Overcoming the unconscious bias that makes teachers discount the potential of female students is fundamental to girls’ continued success in school. When teachers do not use gender-sensitive pedagogy, girls shy away from their studies 17 .
NTS and Empowerment
NTS is sensitive to challenges faced by our male and female students, helping all to stay in school and excel in their studies.
We work to maintain gender balance in our community, ensuring that girls represent 50% of students. To achieve this, we work with parents in the community, actively encouraging them to send their daughters to NTS, framing it as a long-term investment in their family’s financial security. We also work with the Ugandan-based organisation, AFRIpads, providing girls with reusable menstrual products to ensure they do not miss school due to menstruation.
Inside the walls of NTS, we run gender-sensitive pedagogy training for all of our teachers, alongside safeguarding training. This means that teachers are able to effectively teach our female students, and are trained to look out for signs of abuse. This includes gender-based violence, as well as parental pressure for girls to get married or undergo Female Genital Cutting. Teachers also keep an eye on girls who may have been given too many chores and who are struggling to handle school and home responsibilities. In this case, NTS works with parents to help girls find a balance.
We elevate female empowerment in all realms of the school. We have a female president of the NTS Board, setting an aspirational example to all of our students. As we create our student government, we will feature women in leadership roles, communicating to all of our students that women can be seen as leaders, and must be treated equally at student government meetings.
And with this, comes the teaching of respect for both genders. Men and women must develop mutual respect, understanding that as professionals and people, no one is superior to another. This is the NTS culture.
References
1 Human Development Reports, Gender Inequality Index, https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/thematic-composite-indices/gender-inequality-index#/indicies/GII
2 UN Women, Kenya, https://africa.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/eastern-and-southern-africa/kenya
3 Cultural Atlas, Kenyan Culture, https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/kenyan-culture/kenyan-culture-family
4 Cultural Atlas
5 Chege, Girls’ and Womens’ Education in Kenya, https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/9574/Girls%20and%20womens%20education%20in%20Kenya.pdf?sequence=1
6 Warrington, “It makes more sense to educate a boy”: Girls ‘against the odds’ in Kajiado, Kenya,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738059311000927
7 Journal of International Women’s Studies, Towards Inclusive Advancement: An Analysis of Gender Equity in Kenya, https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3070&context=jiws
8 Journal of International Women’s Studies
9 Chege
10 Antonsson, The Vulnerable Boy-Child, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1114987/FULLTEXT01.pdf
11 Chege
12 Jayachandran, The Roots of Gender Inequality in Developing Countries,https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w20380/revisions/w20380.rev0.pdf
13 Antonsson
14 Akinyi, School based factors affecting girls academic performance,https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1236803.pdf
15 Mukiri Limboro, Influence of Teacher Pedagogical Practices on Gender, https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/24895/
16 Mukiri Limboro
17 Nabbuye, Gender-sensitive pedagogy, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hawah-Nabbuye-FOR-WEBSITE.pdf