"I cannot respect my relationship unless the man makes more money than me" was the response of a female radio host in Nairobi discussing recent research that found college educated females in the United Kingdom earn more income than their college educated male counterpart in the same occupation. The male host suggested that there should be a legislation restricting a wife from earning more income than her husband.
A few weeks ago, another radio host asked listeners to discuss whether or not they have helped their ex-partners. He stated that women are “hateful toward their exes” and that the women President Obama once dated probably call Michelle Obama a “bitch” because they are jealous.
Last week, two radio hosts discussed the recent appointment of the new Pakistani ambassador to the United States. The female radio host questioned why a woman was chosen for the job because, as she explained, women are “push overs.”
Over the course of four months, I have heard such gender based discussions on various Kenyan morning and evening radio programs. Such radio programs lead me to question how societal norms negatively impact the progression of gender equality in Kenya.
Kenya is not the only country that has to challenge social obstacles to strengthen gender equality for its citizens. In the United States, despite the increase to paid employment and access to education for women, women still perform that majority of house work in their families. This trend was labeled the “double shift” by researcher Arlie Hochschild [1] to illustrate the unequal distribution of labor between men and women of the same household.
How does anyone make sense of the international progress promoting gender equality while social norms and traditions of varies societies enforce unequal lives between men and women around the world?
In the article entitled “Why is progress in gender equality so slow? An Introduction to the ‘Social Institutions and Gender’ Index,” authors Denis Drechsler and Johannes Jutting [2] analyze how social institutions [3] impact gender equality despite wide spread economic growth and expansion of employment opportunities around the world.
The authors argue that a “multilayered approach” is needed to address the root causes of attitudes and beliefs in a society. One layer of this approach is to promote and create a long lasting sustainable change in social attitudes through media channels and informational campaigns “…to win the support of the entire population, including men” (Drechsler and Jutting 82).
As a student who once researched gender inequalities in Kenya, I argue that such a suggestion would be effective in Kenya. Despite international laws and treaties, the first The United Nations Third World Conference on Women held in Nairobi, the proliferation of Kenyan microfinance and the recent death of Kenyan activist and academic Wangari Maathai (a celebrated Kenyan who defied many gender roles of the past and present), many societal norms and traditions still negatively impact the progression of gender equality in Kenya.
Radio has the potential to influence the thousands of listeners who tune into the radio every day at home, work or on the road. Radio can spark debates and responses from listeners suggesting this medium has the potential to influence stereotypes and perceptions of gender, but also increase dialogue that can lead society to question common societal beliefs and attitudes.
[2] Article taken from Chant, Sylvia H [editor]. The International Handbook of Gender and Poverty: Concepts, Research, Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2010.
[3] Social institutions are defined as “…long lasting codes of conduct, norms, traditions, and informal family laws that do not change over time” (Drechsler and Jutting 78).
