By X.N. Iraki
Nairobi,Kenya:It has been argued that power lost must be gained by someone else. There cannot be power floating somewhere in the air waiting to be grabbed; ask grand coalition members. One of the recent developments in Kenya is women empowerment with some observers arguing that men are losing power gained by women.
Section 81(b) of the 2010 Constitution says, “Not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender.” That was one big boost to women empowerment. This clause has been applied to the letter including in the appointment of the “coolest jobs” in Kenya, cabinet secretaries. Legal issues apart, is women empowerment good for our economy?
The answer to most people is yes. Women constitute a big pool of labour and consumers, say economists. Further, women are better savers (economists again). Rarely do you find women eating nyama choma in a group. Child bearing makes them think long term-good for the economy. But I would honestly qualify that yes.
Power is never lost peacefully; when there is no bloodshed, emotional pain results. As women gain power, men will suffer emotionally before they finally accept that times have changed. That period of emotional disequilibrium may not be good for our economy. A man who feels belittled at home may not be very productive in office or elsewhere.
No nanny
A man paying for child support or alimony is unlikely to be laughing often. Some could also argue that some women could misuse power, particularly soft power. Ever noted how beautiful women can get away with so many things. Is it true that such women get promoted more easily? This power can be misused to benefit a small group of people. For example, while lowering the cut off point for girls will bring more girls to the university, they are likely to be girls who are already advantaged, from middle and upper classes. A girl from a national school is likely to get into university through affirmative action than a boy or a girl from a remote day school with the same points.
Other observers opine that women empowerment particularly in Kenya often divert our attention from others factors that drive the economy. For example, our backgrounds may influence our productivity more than our gender. Give a job to someone who never went for holiday tuition and grew up in a home where there was no nanny and compare his or her performance with someone who grew up with all the privileges.
It can also be argued that this women empowerment is often amorphous. What does it mean to empower women? Is giving them economic opportunities enough? Suppose they prefer to play supporting roles? Why is this empowerment selective? Women want to be MPs but they have never demanded representation in carpentry or grave digging where they are underrepresented…
The unintended consequences of women empowerment keep many sociologists awake at night. A good example is single parenthood. It is no longer cool to be married but it’s cool to have kids. Are kids brought up by single parents different from those in marriages? Is it true that girls from homes with both parents make better wives and the same applies to husbands?
What is not contestable is that economic empowerment envisaged by women empowerment should lead to happiness and self fulfillment. But if it leads to unhappy relationships at home and in offices, it is not worthy. After all, we seek money not for its sake but to make us happier.
—The writer is a lecturer, University of Nairobi School of Business. Email: xniraki@gmail.com
