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WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN THE DEVELOPING SOCIETIES
BY HORACE OCHIENG
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In many African societies, a woman is treated like the beast of burden, exploited and wasted. However, women have shown, beyond any reasonable doubt, that they can increase productivity, run flourishing enterprises, and devise new ways of augmenting family income.
Women have been relegated, for far too long, on the periphery at the behest of men. This is a sad state of affairs. To be able to get empowered, they must first break free of retrogressive traditions. This article, while discussing the lack of empowerment of the womenfolk from various fronts like entrepreneurship, gender inequality, and feminism, will touch on policy formulation and implementation aimed at development of mass level women entrepreneurship and agribusiness in the developing countries.
Girls and women alike hold unlimited potential, the barriers that constrain women are multifaceted. Genderbased violence has remained pervasive even in as much as women are underrepresented in decision-making processes at all levels.
When one says, for example, that many women in Africa today have risen to top leadership positions and attained the highest echelons of power and economic independence, becoming accomplished entrepreneurs, government officials, police officers, airline pilots, scientists, engineers, agriculturists and so many more; you realise that they are referring to many women which cannot represent all women who could have done wanted to accomplish that. This begs the question: is there gender equality and equity in the distribution and accessibility of resources and opportunities in the continent?
Women can liberate themselves to a great extent by joining self-help projects which generate income. There is no shortage of profitable activities they could engage in- growing vegetables and fruits both for sale and home use, poultry-keeping and even supply local communities with imported products. This, they can do if credit and proper training is made accessible to them.
Women can be very good managers, this has been proven time and again, that is why it is not surprising that many banks are extending loans to women to run and manage their own affairs, finances and generate income.
By and large, women form the pillar of family food production. It is not lost on me that provision of microfinance to female entrepreneurs to grow their SMEs has proven to only do so little if they are not properly trained economic empowerment and interventions put in place to sustain their enterprises.
A small capital and little sophisticated managerial and technical skills should be provided. Success in women entrepreneurship in the society will depends majorly on economic, social, religious, and cultural factors. There is also need for putting in place supporting and sustaining activities.
Economic stimulus programs such as The Women Enterprise Fund that provides micro-finance credit and other financial support for women; and The Youth Enterprise Development Fund in Kenyan that provides
credit for young men and women to enable them to establish businesses; and The Uwezo fund that gives seed money as startup capital to the special interest groups have only done so much. In all sincerity, money does not trickle down to the grassroots as should be. It is either too little to cause any effect or it does not do its intended purpose.
Another area on which women need to be empowered is improving their health and nutrition. A woman is more likely to die during childbirth due to poor health. Basic hygiene is a front on which the battle to liberate women must be fought. Education on basic hygiene can save a lot of lives. Governments and other agencies should focus more on mother-child nutrition care. Mothers should also be taught about the locally available nutritious foods that can help their health and that of their families, even in as much as the essential rehydration salts and medicine is made easily available to them.
Gender inequality also remains a serious limitation of economic growth and development and keeps women powerless and backward. Women own only a little of economic assets, have less consumption entitlements, lack access to economic opportunities, and lag far behind in social and economic political arena.
The problem is even worse when some people use gender roles to exploit or
”oppress other people. Men for example, have for a long time invoked gender roles to force women to do certain things and to prevent them from doing things the women may want to do to better their lives and the living standards of their families. Generally, you hear someone saying that politics (leadership) a man’s field. That a woman cannot be a President or Army commander.
A more sensible way of dealing with men and women is to take them strictly on the basis of their individual abilities. A human being is a human being, whether man or woman and each should be given every opportunity to realize his or her full human potential. An enlightened approach to gender equity is suggested by the old English saying “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” This way, women will have been given an equal chance to men emancipate themselves from backward socio-cultural practices.
For tangible economic growth and stability to be realized in Kenya and Africa, women’s participation in peace building, conflict prevention, and mitigation has to be factored in all aspects. Women’s access to credit facilities and markets opportunities has to be exponentially increased. Creation of safe spaces for women and girls, so they can live free from gender-based violence will act as an economic catalyst. It beats logic when a Kenyan politician, in the capacity of a Women Representative, would advance an argument that by buying and supplying sanitary towels to the poor girls in the informal and rural settlements, she is empowering the girlchild. This came as a shocker to me and I was left wondering if she really understands her functions and role. Some may argue that the development blueprint Kenya Vision 2030 has reinforced the women representation and inclusion, and that that it is enough. Other policy and legal frameworks have also been enacted to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non-discrimination. These include National Human Rights Policy and Action Plan; The Marriage Act 2014; The Matrimonial Properties Act 2013; The Land Act 2016; and Draft National Policy on Gender and Development among others. These are good legislations but without proper and full implementation as it is, they only remain good on paper. We should be seeing tangible and functional projects as result of such good policies. I hold that more needs to be done on the legal front. Although the situation seems grim for the African woman, something though miniscule, is done to uplift her status. Women themselves and the public should put on a spirited fight against breaking the shackles of demeaning traditions.
Horace Ochieng is a Credit analyst and a Management Consultant at Golden Thoughts Consultancy. Email him via horaceochieng1@ gmail.com
