Affirmative action appears to have triggered a gender war

Activists during the 16-day anti-femicide campaign in Nairobi. [File, Standard] 

I do not claim to speak for men, but did we start a gender war with affirmative action? The National Policy on Gender and Development (2019) provides for equal opportunities for men and women, leveling the playing field that for long disadvantaged girls and women. Affirmative action was intended to correct historical injustices against women and girls, providing a tool for equity. And there is no denying it, there has been massive results! The number of girls in school has soared, while opportunities for economic growth and leadership for women have opened up in all spheres. However, a quick look into the conversations happening today particularly around femicide and GBV raise a crital question; did we, inadvertently, start a gender war in our quest for gender equity?

It feels like the average young man today is walking around with a sense of injustice. He went through school listening to ‘Girl Child Empowerment’ rhetoric. He grew up to attend college with girls who had their grades ‘affirmed’. He watched as scholarship opportunities prioritised girls. He kept being left out of job opportunities because in almost all of them, ‘Women are especially encouraged to apply’. When he tried entrepreneurship, he realised most funds and grants are specifically tailored for women.