3. Gaps In Cso And Partner Support To Wpp

5. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

As FAWE plans to implement an effective and successful WPP program in Kenya and Tanzania, the organization needs to contextualize its support and ensure that the legal provisions and political party commitments towards WPP are implemented. The first set of recommendations applies to both countries, while the second set is key programmatic recommendations for each country.

General Recommendations

i. Support research programs to improve the collection of sexdisaggregated data: The quality of administrative decisions in the area of WPP and gender policy depends on available information, namely on reliable statistical data. Sex-disaggregated statistics help to develop policies proceeding from facts and not presumptions, stereotypes, or ideological positions. Such statistics provide quantitative data that enables analysis of divergence in the situation of men and women and allows observations of the relevant changes or their absence thereof. Such data will allow for serious consideration of priorities and needs of both women and men in Kenya and Tanzania and is a must for monitoring and assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and policies.

Improving the available expertise in WPP and gender statistics requires the following: i. Time balance for professional and private/family duties of women and men;

ii. Gender budgeting;

iii. Development of data collection tools to account for stereotypes and socio-cultural factors that may generate gender biases;

iv. Harmonization of the country-specific statistical indicators with recommended international standards; and

v. Inclusion of additional observations or indicators, facilitating for a more comprehensive analysis of the status of women and men in politics.

The topics are crucial but lack sufficient statistical data for proper analysis. They include the following:

vi. Women and men in senior positions (in the economic, educational, and public affairs spheres);

vii. The pay gap in the salaries of women and men;

viii. Access to and participation in the labour market (including informal occupations); and

ix. Cases of GBV against women and men, especially the violence related to elections. ii. Support initiatives and programs that reduce gender-discriminatory information: Any manifestations of sexism, however complex it may be to define this term, in all spheres of public life – especially in the media, advertising, and public speech – are unacceptable. Instances of sexism should not be just criticized but rather publicly condemned. In this context, an important task is to develop and launch efficient mechanisms for the elimination of gender-discriminatory content in the media by incorporating directly applicable rules into the law as it relates to advertising. It is crucial to promote greater gender-related awareness and competence of journalists and other media professionals. Mass media employees should clearly know gender equality standards and should maintain a balanced discourse on gender equality. Positive changes will depend upon the level of attention paid to these matters at the learning institutions, not only during one-off training programs for practising journalists.

iii. Facilitate gender monitoring of political forces: quality of men’s and women’s political activity: Political party support for candidate nominations should not depend on individual party members' philosophies but rather on objective indicators of the candidates’ capabilities and efficiencies. The efficiency assessment should also be reflected in the ratio of men and women in the top layers of the parties’ candidates’ lists and the party leadership positions. To assess the efficiency of women and men’s political activity, a comparative analysis may assess the activity level of men and women politicians – for example, numbers of submitted regulatory drafts, speeches, and official information requests, instances of transfer to a different political camp as well as the education level of elected officials and office-runners of both genders. The outcomes of such analysis could be presented to the parties themselves as well as to the general public.

iv. Working with men as partners to promote women’s active participation in politics: Gender-based discrimination may be rooted out only with a shift in the system of gender roles and stereotypes that support them. However, no stereotypes, especially gender-based ones, are changeable overnight. A review of gender roles and relations is possible only under the condition that both men and women participate in such a process, without which common social problems and discrimination cannot be eliminated. To achieve greater support of the gender parity idea among men, it is essential to stress that gender inequality affects both men and women.

i. Support CSOs to formulate a strong women movement: This is to continuously hold the government accountable. The support should focus on working with political parties to ensure women are considered for constituency specific seats and only use the special seats as a stepping stone to get into politics;

ii. Advocate for and support of gender machinery: This should include the ministries responsible for women’s affairs to advance gender mainstreaming, including WPP with a great focus on PWDs and other marginalized groups;

iii. Offer capacity building to female candidates: Support female candidates to access mass media as a great platform for advocacy;

iv. Support mentorship programs: (One is in place under the TPWG) Through these programs, successful female politicians encourage others to run for office as well as mentor young and upcoming youth leaders;

v. Enhance the capacity of male involvement: This is to support WPP and avoid focusing on WPP as a women’s issue; and

vi. Support the growth of strong women wings: Ensuring that women in political parties have a voice to demand diversity and inclusion.

Kenya

i. Promotion of the legal framework: Working with existing strong women organizations that have been at the forefront holding the Government accountable to implement the not more than two-thirds gender rule that has remained unimplemented since 2010;

ii. Capacity building: Engaging with political parties and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties to implement the gender-responsive amendments introduced in the Political Parties Act in 2016;

iii. Engage with other CSOs to monitor the gender responsiveness of the political parties: Focus should be on the parties that receive public finances intending to encourage them to offer women opportunities to run in their strongholds, thus providing them with winnable seats;

iv. Support to the gender machinery: Advocate for and support the State Department of Gender and the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) to advance gender mainstreaming;

v. Support mentorship programs: This can be done through assembly’s and women caucuses programs, e.g. KEWOPA and the County Assembly Caucuses;

vi. Increase women leaders’ effectiveness through targeted training: Needs assessment would inform the training. But the main focus should be on legislative drafting, preparing bills and presenting motions for those already elected. Further, women should be trained on coalition building, advocacy, and public speaking;

vii. Male Involvement: Involving men in targeted training to strengthen their support for WPP and avoid looking at WPP as a women’s issue; and

viii. Support the growth of strong women wings in political parties: To ensure that women in political parties have a voice to demand diversity and inclusion.

[1]. 2018. Record number of women elected in Kenya’s 2017 general elections, but women’s representation remains low. National Democratic Institute, retrieved from https://www.

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