Gender Disparity Statistics in Employment in Kenya

Have you ever thought about the divide in Kenya’s workplaces? The numbers show a big gap between men and women working. Let’s look at these figures closely to understand what’s happening.

In Kenya, 65.3% of people are employed. But, men hold more jobs at 70.4% while only 60.3% of jobs go to women¹. These numbers highlight bigger issues and struggles that women face in getting and keeping jobs in Kenya.

The salary gap is also concerning. On average, women make 17.7% less per hour than men and 31.3% less every month¹. This is true across many job areas. For example, in education, where most workers are women, the gap is even bigger at 37.6%¹.

Kenya is trying to make things better for women at work. But, it’s been a tough road. In the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, Kenya is 77th out of 146 countries². This shows there’s still work to do in education, owning assets, and being financially independent for women².

These issues affect more than just a few women. When women earn less, they are less independent. This keeps them in lower roles in society. It’s not good for Kenya’s economy either, slowing down its growth³.

Key Takeaways

• Kenya’s employment rate is 65.3%, with a notable gap between men (70.4%) and women (60.3%).
• There’s a significant gender pay gap: 17.7% hourly and 31.3% monthly.
• Kenya ranks 77th in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, showing a decline.
• Women face larger pay gaps in feminized sectors like education (37.6%).
• Gender disparities persist in higher education, asset ownership, and financial autonomy.
• These inequalities impact women’s societal status and Kenya’s overall economic growth.

Overview of Gender Inequality in Kenya’s Workforce

Kenya has big differences in how men and women are treated at work. Even though there are laws to protect everyone, women still face many challenges in getting jobs and joining the economy. The law in Kenya says no to unfair treatment and yes to giving everyone the same chances⁴.

Current state of gender equality in Kenya

In Kenya, there’s still a lot of unfairness towards women in finding jobs. Not many women work in areas like digital technology. In fact, less than 30% of these jobs are done by women, which is also seen worldwide⁵. The area of making things also doesn’t treat women and men fairly, both in how they work and in the opportunities they get⁴.

Key factors contributing to workplace disparities

There are many reasons why women face more challenges in finding jobs in Kenya.

• Not enough childcare makes it hard for women to join the workforce
• Many work in jobs that don’t offer proper protections
• Not many women work in jobs that earn a lot of money
• It’s tough to get good education in fields like technology

The law says some jobs have to be given to women, young people, and those with disabilities. But, making that happen is not easy⁴.

Impact of COVID-19 on gender inequalities

The pandemic has made things even harder for women. It’s hit their jobs and ways of making money pretty badly, calling for plans to help them recover in a fair way⁶. This challenge shows why we need special efforts to get more Kenyan women jobs and to fix the unfairness in different areas.

Sector	Women’s Representation	Key Challenges
Digital Technology	Less than 30%	Limited education opportunities, gender stereotypes
Manufacturing	Underrepresented	Low wages, long hours, harassment
Informal Economy	High concentration	Lack of social and labor protections

Understanding Kenya’s Labor Market Structure

Kenya’s job scene shows a big difference between men and women in many fields. We dive into work rates, where jobs are, and the difference between formal and informal work. This lets us see the pay gap and why jobs are often split by gender in Kenya.

Employment Rates by Gender

The job market in Kenya is tough, especially for women. In 2021, 5.7% were without a job. But, 35% also wished they had more work⁷. This means lots of Kenyans, mostly women, either aren’t working enough or can’t find a job. This keeps things uneven at work.

Sectoral Distribution of Male and Female Workers

Men and women tend to work in very different places in Kenya. Fields like farming, trading, and teaching mostly have women. Meanwhile, more men work in building, making things, and moving goods. This setup is one reason for the big wage gap between men and women.

Formal vs. Informal Employment Patterns

Many people in Kenya work in jobs that aren’t under official rules. In a look over 2005 and 2006, half did their own farm work, 36% had this type of job, and only 14% had a formal one⁸. What’s interesting is that men and women don’t differ much in these job types. About half do formal work, and the rest do not.

Work that isn’t counted as formal is very key in Kenya. Of 2.1 million work at home jobs, 90% aren’t official. These jobs often don’t pay or only hire one person. While both men and women are affected by this, it might hit women harder.

Even with work to fix these gaps, the city job market in Kenya still isn’t equal. At the lower 25th, women make almost as much as men, just 88.6%. In general, the numbers say women everywhere make 84.5% to 86% of what men do⁹. There’s a big push needed to make the job field fair for all in Kenya.

Gender Pay Gap Analysis in Kenya

The gender pay gap in Kenya is a big problem. It shows that women get paid less in many jobs. A study of the 2015/16 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey found that men make more money than women in different fields of work¹⁰.

Across public and private jobs, women earn less than men. This is very clear at the lower pay levels. In Kenya, women make 55 shillings for every 100 shillings a man makes doing the same job¹¹.

Getting more education and joining unions help women earn more equally. Those in office jobs and professions see a smaller pay gap. Still, the chance for women to work and get paid well has been going down from 2015 to 2020¹⁰.

Not earning as much affects many women. In 2015, about 62% of working-age women had jobs, compared to 72% of men. This big difference in who works makes the country’s income uneven. Women earn less than men on average¹¹.

To fix this, many things need to change. Adding more job opportunities for women and making sure women are treated fairly at work are some key steps.

Occupational Segregation by Gender

In Kenya, the work divide between men and women is still a big problem. This leads to women earning less and faces getting jobs. Let’s check how this split affects women working.

Duncan Segregation Index for Kenya

The Duncan Segregation Index helps us see how much men and women work apart in Kenya. It shows that for jobs, the separation is at 0.21. Over in the business fields, it’s even higher at 0.37. This means a sizable 21% should get different jobs, and 37% should switch business areas to make things fair¹.

Most Common Occupations for Women and Men

With jobs, Kenyan women often end up in professional, technical, and service roles. Men seem to run the show in craft trades and using machines. You also see this split in work areas. Women tend to go for education, health, and social jobs. Meanwhile, men gravitate toward manufacturing and building work¹.

 

Barriers to Entry in Male-Dominated Fields

Many things stop women from joining fields where men usually work. These barriers include:

• Lack of access to work resources and assets
• Not enough chances to learn new skills
• Bad opinions about women in some jobs
• Missing job rules that think of gender issues¹²

Most women workers in Kenya find jobs in the less formal economy. Their companies grow slowly and depend on simple jobs. This keeps the pay gap between men and women and makes it hard for women to find good wage jobs¹².

Sector	Women’s Representation	Men’s Representation
Education, Health, Social Work	High	Low
Manufacturing, Construction	Low	High
Professional, Technical Roles	High	Moderate
Craft Trades, Machine Operation	Low	High

To fix these issues, we need to fight against the barriers. This way, we can make work fairer and get more women into the workforce in Kenya.

Educational Attainment and Its Impact on Employment

Education greatly influences job chances and boosts equality at work in Kenya. In the past, there were big differences. For example, in 1953, very few women went on to do further education. Only 6% of students at that level were women. However, by 2012, the literacy rate among young Kenyans (aged 15-24) had reached 83.2%¹³.

Today, more girls start primary school than boys, around 84.5% versus 83.5%. But, in secondary school, more boys than girls continue. This leads to a gender gap, with 51.6% boys to 48.4% girls in secondary education¹³.

Having higher levels of education leads to better job chances and can help lessen the pay gap between genders in Kenya. This mirrors findings in OECD countries. There, young adults with higher education had better employment possibilities compared to those without it by 8 points on average¹⁴.

To improve women’s employment rates, focusing on better education for girls is critical. The government has started universal primary schooling to make education more available. This is a positive step for welcoming more women into the workforce¹³. Yet, reaching equity still faces challenges, especially in certain areas and for those with less money.

Education Level	Male Enrollment	Female Enrollment
Primary School	83.5%	84.5%
Secondary School	51.6%	48.4%
Poorest Quintile (Attendance)	33.1%	25%

By evening out these education gaps, Kenya can move closer to leveling job opportunities for women. This strategy is also in line with worldwide observations. It shows that more education means better employment, helping to reduce gender disparities at work.

Gender Disparity Statistics in Employment in Kenya

In Kenya, there are big gaps between how men and women work, even though more women are joining the workforce. The employment rate is 65.3%. However, women are at 60.3%, and men are at 70.4%. This shows a significant difference in job opportunities for men and women¹.

Key Statistical Indicators of Workplace Inequality

The pay difference between men and women in Kenya is 17.7% per hour, and 31.3% per month. This shows there’s still a lot of gender bias in the workplace. Around the world, women make only 73 cents for every dollar a man makes. So, this is a global problem, not just in Kenya¹³.

Indicator	Value
Female Labor Force Participation	72%
WBL 2021 Score	80.6
Pay Indicator Score	100/100
Parenthood Indicator Score	40/100

Trends in Gender Disparity Over Time

Kenya is working to close the gender gap. In the last 50 years, the World Bank’s assessment of women’s legal rights improved from 48.8 to 80.6. This is good news for women’s equality¹⁵. But, there are still challenges, especially in areas like having children and starting businesses. These areas scored 40/100 and 50/100, suggesting there’s more work to be done¹⁵.

Comparison with Regional and Global Benchmarks

More women in Kenya work than the Sub-Saharan African average. The country gets full marks, 100/100, in areas like Workplace, Moving Up, Salaries, and Marrying. This means women have the same rights as men in these parts¹⁵. But having women in parliament is still low at 21.6%. This shows we need more women in politics to truly be equal³

These facts show that women’s work in Kenya has come a long way, but there’s still much to do for real equality.

Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles

In Kenya, getting more women into leadership roles is hard. In the recent 2022 election, more women won political seats. Sadly, they only make up 10.6% of all elected leaders¹⁶. This small win shows that women are still not fairly represented in Kenya’s workforce, especially in top jobs.

Discrimination in hiring stops many women from moving up in their careers. Traditional beliefs often stop women from reaching leadership positions¹⁷. Women often feel they need to outperform men to get the same chance. This shows there are deep biases against them.

Women in Kenya are rarely found in top roles. Even though there were more women governors, they still face unfair treatment. Only a small percentage of women work in finance and economics across Africa¹⁷.

Kenya aims for equal gender roles in government by not allowing one gender to fill more than two-thirds of positions¹⁸. But, things like poverty, lack of education, and unfair resource sharing hold back real change. These are big hurdles in achieving true leadership equality.

“There’s still a long way to go for gender equality in leadership positions, despite some improvements in gender ratios,” noted a female respondent in Kenya¹⁷.

Equal men and women leadership is necessary for Kenya’s growth. It needs a fair system for both, respecting human rights. Every gender’s voice should be heard and valued for real progress¹⁸.

Kenya needs to tackle deep-rooted gender biases and stereotypes for real change. This means making big changes in how society and businesses operate. Only then can everyone have an equal chance.

Indicator	Statistic
Increase in women-held elective seats (2022)	16%
Women in all elective seats	10.6%
Women in finance (study)	25%
Women in economics (study)	18%

For more about the challenges women face in Kenya’s leadership, check UN Women Africa.

Unpaid Care Work and Its Effect on Women’s Employment

Unpaid care work affects how active women are in Kenya’s workforce. This work, mostly done by women, makes it hard for them to earn more money. It also adds to why women get paid less than men in Kenya.

Distribution of unpaid care responsibilities

In Kenya, women carry most of the unpaid care work. They spend around five hours a day on direct care and over 11 hours on any care tasks. In comparison, men only spend about one hour on direct care and less than three hours on any care. This situation shows deep-rooted beliefs and roles in society.

Impact on women’s career advancement

The unpaid care tasks limit women’s ability to advance in their careers. It makes certain jobs seen as mainly for either men or women. For example, more than 20% of women take on most of the childcare duties. This often leads them to work less for pay or stop working altogether. This was made worse during COVID-19. More women than men had to leave their jobs or work less to meet increased childcare needs during the pandemic.

Potential solutions for balancing care work and employment

Solving the imbalance of unpaid care work is key for women to be more part of the economy. Some solutions include:

• Promoting gender-sensitive policies in workplaces
• Encouraging men’s involvement in household responsibilities
• Investing in public services to reduce care work for women
• Recognizing and valuing unpaid care work in national economic policies

By using these solutions, Kenya can make care work more fair. This might increase how many women work and lessen the pay gap between men and women¹⁹.

Legal Framework and Policies Addressing Gender Equality in Employment

Kenya is taking big steps to ensure men and women have equal chances at work. The country’s Constitution, started in 2010, stops any discrimination. It gives everyone a fair shot in politics, business, art, and life in general²⁰. Laws and plans are also in place to make workplaces more open.

In 2015, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act was made. It says 30% of government jobs should go to women, young people, and those with disabilities. But, getting these job chances is hard for women because they might not know about them, or they might lack the needed skills²⁰. The plan, called AGPO, was meant to help women own businesses by giving them a boost. Yet, it’s not working as well as hoped because of some problems in how it’s done.

Things are getting better for mothers at work. Since 2012, the law gives moms three months off with pay when they have a baby. But, some companies might not follow this rule without facing any real punishment²⁰. This raises a problem: the rules are there, but making sure they’re actually followed is another story.

However, sadly, many women in factories still make less, work long hours, and face mistreatment. They also don’t have much say in what they earn or what happens at work²⁰. So, the country needs to do more than just make laws. It has to make sure these laws lead to real changes for working women.

The country is trying to help women run their own businesses better by setting goals for 2030. It’s called Vision 2030. But, a recent study by the Kenya Association shows that many efforts to help women work are not focused specifically on women. This could mean those efforts are not working as well as they could²⁰.

There has been progress, but it’s not enough. Bridging the gap between what’s on paper and what really happens is vital. Keeping on improving laws, putting them into action, and making sure they stick is the best way forward²⁰.

Challenges Faced by Young Women and Adolescent Girls in the Workforce

In the job market of Kenya, young women and girls face big challenges. Many obstacles like deep-rooted norms and financial barriers stop them from joining the workforce.

Vulnerability to poverty and exploitation

Young females in Kenya often face the risk of being poor or exploited. They work long hours in unstable, informal jobs. This situation can lead to workplace harassment²¹. For those between 15 and 17, they might end up in dangerous work environments²¹.

Barriers to economic participation

There are several economic obstacles that keep young women out of the workforce in Kenya. For one, nearly 33% of them in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Kenya, are considered NEET²². This issue is made worse by a gap between jobs and the skills that young women have²².

Initiatives targeting young women’s empowerment

Many efforts are being made to help young women in Kenya join the workforce. These projects focus on connecting education with jobs for those aged 15 to 29²³. By tackling social, cultural, and financial barriers, they hope to get more women working and reduce harassment at work in Kenya²³.

But, the improvement is not as fast as needed. Females in Kenya are still more likely to be jobless or do risky, informal work than males²¹²². It’s important to fix these issues to reach gender equality at work and see economic growth for everyone.

Role of Cultural Attitudes and Beliefs in Perpetuating Gender Disparities

Cultural beliefs and attitudes shape the gender work gap in Kenya. Traditional practices can stop women from working, leading to gender inequality. These norms limit women’s control of resources and career growth²⁴.

Practices like female genital mutilation and child marriages keep women from getting educated. They also put limits on what jobs women can do²⁴. These practices worsen the gender gap in jobs.

Religious issues can also hurt gender equality in places like Kenya. By lowering these tensions and boosting the economy, we can help close the job gap²⁵. We need to work on both cultural and economic problems to fight gender job bias.

Violence against women in Kenya is common and hurts their job chances. About 47 women are killed weekly because of this. It really affects how many women can work. Changing cultural norms is key to making work safer and fair for women²⁴.

We need a wide strategy to solve these problems. This means teaching against harmful norms, giving job training, and helping gender violence survivors²⁴. By removing these cultural blocks, Kenya can offer fair work chances to everyone.

Strategies for Promoting Gender Equality in Kenyan Workplaces

Kenya is working hard to achieve gender equality at work. It scored 80.6 out of 100 on the World Bank’s Index. This score is above the regional average in Sub-Saharan Africa²⁶. Despite progress, achieving equal representation at work is still a challenge.

Government Initiatives and Policies

The Kenyan government fights gender inequality through laws. These include laws against domestic violence and banning gender discrimination at work. Also, there’s a law for equal pay for work of equal value²⁶. These measures help decrease gender gaps at work.

Private Sector Involvement

Businesses also help promote gender equality. For instance, the Kenya 2 Equal initiative is aiding in this. It aims to create equal job opportunities and to boost companies’ success²⁷. Standard Chartered Bank Kenya is an example with a 63% gender equality rate²⁸.

International Support and Interventions

Global groups support Kenya’s gender equality goals. Six Kenyan companies signed the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles. This is double the global average²⁸. Such programs accelerate job market equality for women in Kenya.

However, there’s still a gap to bridge. Women, on average, earn 32% less than men. And they hold only 27% of management jobs in companies on the Nairobi Stock Exchange²⁷. If this gap were closed, global GDP per person could rise by around 20%²⁶.

Conclusion

Gender inequality in Kenya’s work world is a big issue that needs quick fixing. Women there make 32% less than their male counterparts²⁹. This figure is higher than the global norm of a 23% difference, showing the serious problem in Kenya’s workplaces.

The number of women working in professional jobs in Kenya is low. In 2020, out of the 14.5 million workers, only 2.9 million had good, solid jobs³⁰. A large number, 87%, work in jobs that do not guarantee good pay or benefits²⁹. It’s clear we need solid plans to fix the work fairness gap.

We have to work on many things to make Kenya’s work scenes fairer. This means putting gender equality at the heart of our country’s rules, which the National Gender and Equality Commission supports²⁹. We should also help women who own businesses by making the starting rules clearer³⁰. If we combine our efforts, we can make jobs in Kenya more equal.

References:

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