By Millie Khosla
Kenyan culture has been highly masculine for generations. Hofstede Insights, an online publication which tracks national culture through factors such as power distance and individualism, rates Kenya as a 60/100 on the masculinity scale compared to a perfectly equitable score of 0/100. Although the average masculinity score for most countries in Africa lies between 40/100 – 60/100, Kenya remains on the higher side of this range. According to this index, this means that Kenya is a “masculine society” in which social behavior is mostly driven by male influence. However, this patriarchal structure puts an immense burden on male behavior, creating exceptionally challenging social and professional burdens.
Let’s take a look at precisely what these are:
In 2021, researchers examined the effects of income and social issues in Africa to determine how they contribute to toxic masculinity. This study found that Kenya ranks near the bottom of the Human Development Index, meaning that Kenyans face more poverty, alcoholism, and crime than the average person. This results in a lack of male role models available to Kenyan men, which then results in a lack of positive representation for male behaviors (Letarte). Furthermore, Healthline reports that toxic masculinity can result in increased mental health problems for everyone in a society, including stress and depression. Furthermore, they also reported that men who grow up in a highly masculine society “are more likely to feel lonely, hostile… [and lack] loving social bond[s]”
Jones Obiria, the School Director of Nyamboyo Technical School, has experienced the challenges of living in a highly masculine society. As a school leader and father of three, Obiria is forced to carry immense social pressure silently while also leading a community and a family. In a brief video, he explains some of these pressures, saying that men aren’t supposed to express discomfort when they’re sick or even after circumcision. This societal pressure then rolls into Kenyan family dynamics, where men are expected to maintain this air of strength by providing for and heading their families (“Kenyan Culture”). In fact, speaking about this social role is viewed as taboo in Kenyan culture, making Obiria a pioneer in breaking this cycle.
Collectively, the social pressure put on men can be exceptionally debilitating, leading to broken family dynamics which are worsened significantly by poverty. Currently, over a third of Kenya lives at or below the world poverty index (Merchant). So, how can this social dynamic be changed to yield a less pressured lifestyle for men?
The UN writes an interesting article describing how education is linked to fighting highly masculine societies. Specifically, education helps to socialize both men and women together in an equal environment – what they call “gender socialization.” Gender socialization leads to the breakdown of gender stereotypes and is described as being the most important factor in challenging culturally-based discrimination (Karam). Furthermore, Harvard Medical School also holds that education itself is linked with increased feminist values and a lower likelihood of committing sexual assault (Curan). Additionally, a study performed in sub-Saharan Africa, reports that religious institutions can also play large roles in reducing toxic masculinity by focusing more on education and family values (Letarte). By educating young men in Kenya and improving advocacy for attending school, we can begin to tackle the negative aspects of masculine culture.
Nyamboyo Technical School is also working to change this by launching a reproductive education program focused on reducing these social pressures on men. Specifically, the program will create a safe place for young men to discuss the various issues they face when transitioning from adolescence to manhood and openly examining their highly masculinized culture. This program is being developed in partnership with the NGO Afripads where NTS’ female students are being supplied reusable sanitary pads. Both groups will have health and reproductive education, both together and separately. Collectively, this program will allow for the social progression of both men and women, taking another step to address gender equality in Kenya’s masculine culture.
Sources
Curan, Terrence. “Comprehensive Sex Education as Violence Prevention.” Harvard Medical School, Harvard Medical School Primary Care Review, 29 May 2020 – info.primarycare.hms.harvard.edu/review/sexual-education-violence-prevention#:~:text=Teaching%20consent%20is%20key%20to%20preventing%20sexual%20violence.&text=Healthy%20relationships%20are%20an.
Karam, Azza. “Education as the Pathway towards Gender Equality.” United Nations, The UN Chronicle – www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/education-pathway-towards-gender-equality.
“Kenya.” Hofstede Insights – www.hofstede-insights.com/country/kenya/#:~:text=Kenyan%20culture%20measures%20high%20on,%E2%80%9Cthe%20winner%20takes%20all%E2%80%9D.
“Kenyan Culture.” Cultural Atlas – culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/kenyan-culture/kenyan-culture-family.
Letarte, Martine. “Combatting toxic masculinity in Africa.” IDRC, 19 Nov. 2021 – www.idrc.ca/en/stories/combatting-toxic-masculinity-africa.
McCarthy, Kevin. “‘Toxic Masculinity’ Leads to Mental Health Problems for Men.” Healthline, 16 Dec. 2016, – www.healthline.com/health-news/toxic-masculinity-mental-health-problems-for-men#:~:text=These%20masculine%20norms%20correlated%20with,of%20strong%2C%20loving%20social%20bonds.
Merchant, Amelia. Borgen Project, edited by Amelia Merchant, Global Poverty, Kenya, 14 Sept. 2018 – borgenproject.org/tag/poverty-in-kenya/#:~:text=Around%2035.5%25%20of%20Kenya’s%20population,the%20population%20living%20in%20poverty.