The absence of women in top positions across multiple industries, gender wage gap, and the lasting "glass ceiling" that restricts their entry to executive leadership are all indicators of a persistent gender gap in leadership roles. The credibility of women as leaders is frequently hindered by biases and stereotypes; also, issues with work-life balance and a lack of networking and mentoring opportunities further impede their advancement.
Cultural and structural barriers, along with discriminatory practices, worsen these inequalities. Closing the gender gap in leadership is not only a matter of fairness but also a strategic necessity, as diverse leadership teams foster innovation and well-informed decision-making. Addressing this gap requires concerted efforts at multiple levels to challenge biases, promote inclusivity, and create pathways for women to thrive in leadership roles.
How can we do this?
Eliminate biases that promote harmful views of women.
Encourage women to pursue roles of leadership.
Destroy social, cultural and educational barriers.
Holding administrative, governmental and authoritative bodies accountable.
Provide leadership training to young women.
Create spaces and opportunities for women to pursue political and legislative roles far from bias.
Data shows that women are highly underrepresented at all levels of political, legislative and decision making roles and that we have a long way to go before we achieve the ideal number of women in positions of power and influence. However, we are still optimistic that with growing gender advocacy, responsiveness and representation, these numbers will continue to increase. Below is a graphical representation of Proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament of Kenya from 2003 to 2022.
As we can see, there is initially a stagnant trend from 2003-2007, where we see an increase from 2008-2012 and then again, a stagnation. However, a spike is noted from the year 2012 to 2017 and a stagnation yet again. The highest noted percentage is about 24.43%, which is far less than half, as it should be.
What Causes the Absence of Women in Leadership?
Gender Bias & Stereotypes | Stereotypes that associate leadership with masculinity can hinder women's advancement, leading to bias in recruitment and promotion processes. |
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Lack of Mentorship & Networking | Limited access to influential networks and mentors can impede women's career growth, as mentoring and networking often play a crucial role in leadership development. |
Work-Life Balance | Women often face greater caregiving responsibilities, making it difficult to balance work and family life, which can affect their ability to pursue leadership roles. |
Structural Barriers | Systems in companies and other bodies that lack flexibility or lack accommodation of family needs can discourage women from pursuing leadership roles. |
Unequal Pay | Gender-based differences in salaries continue, discouraging women from seeking leadership positions when they predict limited financial rewards. |
Unconscious Bias Training | Many organizations lack training programs to raise awareness of hidden biases, which can increase discriminatory practices. e.g., the expectation that women would be unreasonable or illogical in making decisions. |
Political, Cultural & Religious beliefs | Societal and religious expectations and cultural beliefs may discourage women from participating in politics or seeking leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated fields. |
Intersectionality | Factors like race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability can intersect with gender to create unique challenges for women from diverse backgrounds. |
Solutions to bridging the gap
It is important for us to realize the limitations we have in reaching certain goals, and this includes the duration before we see positive change. Achieving the adequate representation of women in roles of leadership is a long and gradual process and cannot be seen through singular or isolated actions. It is a multi-disciplinary, community-based and global issue that needs to be addressed. Below are some of the measures that can be taken in order to get the process in gear
Legislation and Policy Changes
| Enforcing laws and regulations that promote gender equality leadership such as the two-thirds gender rule, implement policies that support work-life balance, parental leave, and flexible working arrangements. |
Equal pay and Benefits | Ensuring that there is fair pay and transparency, as well as eliminating any gender based wage gaps. |
Education and Training | Promote education and leadership training programs for women at all levels, implement unconscious bias training to reduce gender bias in hiring and promotion processes. |
Promote Inclusive Leadership Cultures | Create inclusive workplace cultures that value diversity and inclusion, recognize and reward leaders who champion gender equality and diversity initiatives. |
Visibility and Representation | Promote and celebrate women's achievements and leadership roles through media and public recognition, ensure diverse representation in public and private sector leadership boards and committees. |
Engage Men as Allies | Encourage men to actively support and advocate for gender equality in leadership, promote male involvement in diversity and inclusion initiatives. |
Advocacy and Awareness | Support advocacy campaigns and initiatives that raise awareness about gender disparity in leadership, engage in public discourse to challenge stereotypes and biases. |
The Constitution's Fight
In the Kenyan Constitution, the rights of women in leadership and their representation are primarily in the Bill of Rights, which guarantees equal treatment and non-discrimination based on gender. Here are some relevant sections:
Article 27(3): This section of the Kenyan Constitution states that women and men have the right to equal treatment, including the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural, and social spheres. It prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender.
Article 27(8): This subsection of Article 27 specifically acknowledges the need to promote gender equality in legislative and other elective bodies. It calls for legislative and other measures to ensure that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender.
Article 81(b): This article establishes a framework for the electoral system and requires that political parties nominate and submit lists of candidates for elections that comply with the principle of not more than two-thirds of the members being of the same gender.
Article 100: This article addresses the role of the National Assembly in promoting the representation of marginalized groups, including women. It mandates the National Assembly to enact legislation to ensure that minorities and marginalized groups are fairly represented.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to be legal advice. If you require legal assistance, kindly seek out a practicing Advocate with a valid license.
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