The proportion of women in entry-level job groups in public service has dropped by 10 percentage points despite more of them acquiring degrees over the past decade, highlighting gender gaps in the workforce.
An audit by Kenyatta University Women’s Economic Empowerment Hub (KU-WEE) covering the period between 2010 to 2020 shows the representation of women in job groups J to L stood at 31.3 percent in 2020, from 41.7 percent in 2010.
The survey shows men’s representation remained at higher proportions, rising from 58.3 percent in 2010 to 68.7 percent in 2020.
The analysis shows women with a first degree increased to 45 percent in 2020 from 27 percent in 2010, while the proportion of men with a first degree in the same cadres declined to 46 percent in 2020 from 64 percent in 2010.
Similarly, women with a master’s degree increased from 2.5 percent to 4.4 percent in 2020 while men with a master’s declined from seven percent in 2010 to five percent in 2020.
“What we have found out is that mentorship for women is very crucial, not just at high school level where a lot of emphases has been put, but also at career development level,” said KU-WEE project lead, Dr Regina Mwatha.
The proportion of women representation in upper management levels (Q to V) – a higher level where key decisions are made—in the public service registered minimal growth from 23 percent to 29 percent during the review period.
KU-WEE established that only eight State departments in government ministries are sensitive to women's economic empowerment initiatives meaning gender-responsive budgeting is still low in public service.
The National Gender and Equality Commission, the Department for Social Protection, and State Department for Gender are among those that are in WEE-sensitive ministries and have 100 percent of their budgets dedicated to WEEI-related services.
State-instituted affirmative action measures include policies that ensure any groups that suffered past discrimination are catered for in the current policies and budgetary allocation.
In Kenya, women were categorised as people who suffered past discrimination, especially in areas of economic and political opportunities.
Data from the Global Gender Gap Index shows that overall, Kenya has made progress in closing the gender gap.
The closer a country is to hitting ‘1’, the closer it is to achieving gender parity in the select area. An assessment of the education and health segments shows that Kenya is closer to one meaning the country is closer to attaining gender parity.
Health and survival rank highest for Kenya where there is the least gender gap at 0.975, followed by education at 0.939.
For education, the analysis looks at the literacy rates, and school enrollment including primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
“You realise that a lot of investment has gone to education and healthcare access to women and mothers. This means that where the money goes towards issues affecting both genders, the gap reduces in terms of gender inequalities,” said Darmi Jattani of the Institute of Economic Affairs.
As regards political empowerment, it has been a long and tumultuous journey for Kenyan women to get the same level of participation, representation, and respect as their male counterparts.
The country being a patriarchal society, women's rights and participation have for many years been confined to the backburner clouded by harmful stereotypes and social segregation, widening the gender gap.
