Living on her own terms: Price women pay for ambition

Living on her own terms: Price women pay for ambition (Photo: iStock)

Jane* was a young professional in Nairobi in the mid-90s when she made the difficult 'decision' to leave employment and take care of her young family. She had little choice in the matter since the prevailing expectation then was that a woman's identity was bound up with her domestic responsibilities. Her personal ambitions mattered little to her mate and the society.

Her experience resonates with women of her generation whose secular careers were considered secondary to both motherhood and domestic duties. Any ambitions the women had were seen as distractions from their "true calling" of raising children. They would even face stigma if they chose the secular career route in a society where men provided security.