Gender-Based Leadership Inequality and Economic Development in Kenya
Abstract
The need to achieve gender-based leadership and reduce the inequality that
has existed before cannot be without women’s empowerment. Having female
leadership increases equality, since most African countries are patriarchal
societies. This paper utilized a descriptive research design and used both
secondary and primary data from two County Governments in Kenya. The paper
found that in both political and economic leadership, there is still a disparity
between men and women. In terms of ownership of land and employment,
economic benefits go to individuals, groups, and regions that had hitherto not
gained much from what little growth has taken place. The right to education is
guaranteed by the Constitution as a variable to the empowerment of women and
girls, but education is still wanting for women. Many girls are still out of school
due to, among other factors, customary practices that expose them to early
marriages and child pregnancies. The legal frameworks available, including
African Call to have 50:50 gender representation, are yet to be realized in Kenya.
