Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Reach for Gold - The Gold Ribbon Campaign .
As the men,Are we ready to stop chasing the rats while our house is on fire? Are we ready to support a woman step out and competitively seek for a leadership position at any level? Are we ready to be there, when called upon to be, regardless of our gender? Are we ready to offer both financial and socio-political capital required by women seeking leadership? Are we ready to use and influence our spheres to steer, accommodate and extol the great dynamism, creativity and potential brought more inclusion of the women in positions of influence?Are we ready to listen more, engage and dialogue more as society? Are we open to dialogue with social movement actors,particularly the women’s movement willing to have you involved?Are we ready to stir our wives, daughters, mothers and friends to rise up to the occasion?
Are we, as the women of this country ready to leave our comfort zones and Reach for Gold? Are we ready to apply for that position that have suffered stereotype for so long? Are we ready to be counted? Are we ready to shun the myths, prejudice and all the barriers that tie us behind?Are we ready to get the murk if and when we must, Reaching for the Gold? Are we ready to competitively run for elective positions in this country in droves and numbers? Are we ready to transform the institutions and the politics of this country with our untapped competencies? Are we ready to join, build and belong to a political party ? Are we ready to surpass the 1/3rd provision now deeply and inaccurately perceived as your ceiling share? Are we ready to set an in depth and visionary agenda in leadership positions across all sectors of our economy? Are we ready to offer support to a man or a woman with issue based policies across all our institutions?
As the youth, are we ready to shun violence against men and women in toto? Are we ready to recreate, nurture and advance a renewed generational mindset of equity and leadership through competencies? Are we ready to challenge and discard the Traditional perceptions ,prejudices, biases and stereotypes, old order and establishments as pertains to women and leadership?
Without a positive change of attitudes and mindsets by all, the position of women would improve at the very most, with a ceiling’s/ snails pace , Are we ready to move ‘from paper to reality’ Are we ready to forge from the current inequality to a 50/50 gender representation in leadership and decision making?
Are we ready? Are we ready to Reach for Gold as a people? This is the essence of the Reach for Gold Campaign . This is the essence of tucking gold ribbon.A symbol of our choice and commitment to gender neutrality. This is an undertaking, a personal commitment,a reminder and a declaration of maximum individual and collective proactiveness of ‘ we the people; in the implementation of the gender agenda in the new constitution. It is a clarion, a deep and conscious conviction beyond gender, tribe, age, religion, party, education background and any other ism that divide us. This is the very essence of the Men for Women Initiative. Forging our own destiny as a people. Reach out for the potential, Reach for Gold.
If you are ready for such a commitment, then you are the change driver we have been searching for. This is your Initiative.We look forward to keep you engaged, but you have a role. Express it,Tuck in a Gold Ribbon, Start and Spread the conversation,Engage another one more person. We all have a role,We all have a responsibility, to form an enabling environment and context of the implementation of the gender agenda in our new constitution. Because its a cause,ABOUT US.
The Launching Dialogue: Why the push for Competitive Women Inclusion.
"The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world."
- Charles Malik, former president, United Nations General Assembly
- Charles Malik, former president, United Nations General Assembly
Women and men alike bring value to the table, but it is their combined effort that creates the strongest foundation for innovation and prosperity. Many of our institutional and societal structures have limited the opportunities for both genders to work in full partnership. Yet amidst the upheaval in our economic, climatic, political and cultural spheres, we will benefit in the long run if we are committed to utilizing all of our nation’s resources—both women and men—to lead together.
More inclusion of women to positions of leadership and decision making will reinforce every departments/sector/organizations/ country’s commitment to having women and men work side-by-side to tackle the challenges we collectively face as a nation,taking full advantage of the unique leadership traits and diverse perspectives that both genders bring to the table.
In politics for instance, research has shown that the way in which women enter positions of power can determine whether they will be politically marginalized or become key players in their political organizations and in the decisionmaking positions in public office that they assume Women elected/nominated due to the introduction of quotas may not claim equal experience and or command equal legitimacy as compared to women who work their way up from the
grassroots and through the party structures, whose stronger voice would automatically become
strategic in promoting policies that favour gender equality and gender mainstreaming.
It is of key importance to have a goal that seeks to increase the numbers of the competitively elected women at all levels of leadership and decision making
However, this does not altogether negate the gains of more numbers because while others may remain politically marginalized with little impact on gender equality issues, others become competent political agents in their own right through the process of political socialization that begins as soon as they enter the political arena, gain experience and, in many cases, face open discrimination.
The importance of gender equity at all levels, — particularly for girls and women — is reflected in all significant development goals, the MDGs in particular. Three of the eight MDGs
specifically address this concerns:
• MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education (i.e, ensure that all boys and girls
complete a full course of primary schooling)
• MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• MDG 5: Improve maternal health
Women are also primary players in the attainment of:
• MDG 1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger;
• MDG 4: Reducing child mortality;
• MDG 5: Combating HIV and AIDS .
Supporting more women join leadership and decision making positions from the lowest unit means increasing women’s influence in household decisions, which in turn improves their education levels thus significantly improving their children’s survival rates, nutritional status, and educational attainment. Education is the single most powerful means for families
to escape poverty over the longer term.
There is a direct relation between the number of women in decision making positions and the levels of poverty of a country.
If indeed we are to overcome the current enormous challenge of the boy child erosion and degradation, we have no choice but to have the voice of their mothers, sisters and daughters listened to, strengthened and respected.
As well, enhancing women’s influence and decision-making power in the household, the workplace, and the political sphere furthers the achievement of gender equity and empowerment of women .This will require systematic and sustained attention in all policy areas and by all actors across all sectors, men included.
The Beijing Platform for Action emphasized that “women’s equal participation in decision making is not only a demand for justice or democracy, but can also be seen as a necessary condition for women’s interests to be taken into account. Without the perspective of women at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved.”
The Beijing Platform for Action defined two strategic objectives in its critical area of concern on women in power and decision-making:
• to ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision making;
• to increase women’s capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership.
There is a direct relationship between the number and quality of women in leadership and decision making positions with the development and peace of a nation
Further Rationale:
Both practitioners and scholars agree that it is of utmost importance to have
equal numbers of women and men in leadership and decision making positions and have advanced a range of arguments for this position:
a) The justice argument – women account for approximately half the population and
therefore have the right to be represented as such.
b) The experience argument – women’s experiences are different from men’s and need to
be represented in discussions that result in policy-making and implementation. These
different experiences mean that women ‘do politics/leadership’ differently from men.
c) The interest argument – the interests of men and women are different and even
conflicting and therefore women are needed in representative institutions to articulate
the interests of women.
d) The critical mass argument – women are able to achieve solidarity of purpose to
represent women’s interests when they achieve certain levels of representation.
e) The symbolic argument - women are attracted to political life if they have role models
in the arena.
f) The democracy argument – the equal representation of women and men enhances
democratization of governance in both transitional and consolidated democracies.
Collective Opportunity beyond the numbers push.
Descriptive (Numerical) Representation – Where the individual represents a group by
the virtue of sharing similar characteristics with the group such as race, sex, age,
ethnicity or geographical area. Women representing women can be seen as a form of
direct participation in decision-making bodies
Substantive representation –Where the individual seeks to advance a particular
group’s policy preferences and interests, without necessarily being a member of the
group as defined by race, sex, ethnicity, etc. Instead the focus is on what the
representative is saying/doing and whether he or she is actually speaking/acting for a
particular group in terms of the content of their positions and statements in public
debates and policy discussions.
This push for leadership should aim at effectively increasing the descriptive and substantive representation of women in all leadership life at all levels, the potential for change in leadership practices—and therefore in outcomes--towards the empowerment of women can be better realized; thereby promoting a more democratic, equitable, and just Kenyan society which is greener, sustainably developed and safer to live in.
Today you simply can’t remain in your carefully constructed comfort zone. Meaning that, unless women are more adventurous like most successful men, they cannot hope to make a meaningful dent competitively into the leadership and decision making positions. It must be noted that it is only those who take risks in life, who stand a better chance of succeeding, because in Kenya today, one cannot achieve anything without an effort..
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." - Beverly Sills .Indeed, this is damnation without relief. Damnation for us all. This is what we need to hear more men countrywide telling their daughters, their mothers, their wives and their friends. It is the true appreciation that we are better together, that we are ready as a people to tap into the largely undiscovered and golden treasure embedded in the dynamism, the creativity and the energy of half of our population. This is the purpose of our gathering here. To share with us that everyone has a role to play. To publicly declare that there is no ceiling, glass marble or otherwise put by men for you to break first. To join and say that It’s not about them, but about us. It is us to Reach for the Gold. The hidden treasure and potential lying unexploited in every man and woman. What can’t we do to reach for gold? Are we ready to do all it takes to Reach for Gold?
The Launching Dialogue: Why Men for Women Initiative
INTRODUCTION
GUIDING REFLECTION: From Paper to Reality- The role of ‘We the People’ with regard to the implementation context of the gender provisions in the new constitution.
Objective: To sensitize men on their role to promote women leadership at the community level.
To identify and mobilize expertise, resources, goodwill, opportunities and practices that support a practical approach to effect the desired change.
· This is an Initiative being steered by Interlink Care, a not for profit NGO in Kenya with vast wealth of experience working with diverse communities in leadership fronts who are engaging the men constituency to bring their stone to help build, encourage, support, strengthen, accelerate and proactively sustain the course of women to competitively join leadership and decision making positions as guaranteed in the gender inclusive agenda of the Kenya’s New Constitution, The Millennium Development Goals and Kenya’s Vision 2030 development blue print.
· This initiative aims at objectively fostering deliberate incorporation, involvement and ownership of the women leadership agenda promotion among 130 key County’s stakeholders and opinion leaders in each of the 47 Counties in Kenya by December 2012.
· It is a call from men for more conscious contribution of fellow men towards accelerating the ongoing effort of competent women inclusion in leadership and decision making fronts
· This initiative is based on the realization that while the benefits of the women inclusion in leadership and decision making cannot be overemphasized, the role of men as prime agents of change can be up scaled and if consciously and objectively harnessed, this will be instrumental in fast tracking this assured women’s cause from the enacted one-third provision in new constitution to 50-50 men–women representation at all levels of leadership and decision making.
THE KENYA CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
Constitution of Kenya 2010 promulgated on the 27th August 2010 sets out the legal rights and obligations for the State in respect for the promotion and respect for women's rights. This is captured in various sections of the constitution that include the following;-
a) Chapter Two, The Republic, Devolution and access to services
b) Chapter Three, Citizenship
c) Chapter Four, The Bill of Rights, Part 1—General provisions relating to the Bill of Rights'
d) Economic and social rights. Part 3 – Specific application of rights, Minorities and marginalized groups
e) Chapter Five, Land and Environment,
f) Chapter Six, Leadership and Integrity
g) Chapter Seven, Representation of the people
h) Chapter Eight, The legislature
i) Chapter Nine, The Executive
j) Chapter Eleven, Devolved government
k) Chapter Twelve, Part 1 – Principles and framework of public finance Equalization Fund
l) Fourth Schedule, Distribution of functions between the National and Country governments.
The Key Gains For Women Include:
All forms of discrimination including violence against women are explicitly prohibited. Under the constitution,
a) Women can own and inherit land.
b) Matrimonial property is protected during and after termination of marriage
c) Customary law that is inconsistent with the constitution is void thus personal law which is discriminatory to women if in contradiction with the constitution is invalid;
d) Equality in marriage.
e) Women's political representation is guaranteed
f) Women are recognized citizens and will be able to bestow citizenship to their foreign spouses or children born outside the country.
g) Equal parental responsibility of the mother and father to provide for the child.
h) Elimination of discrimination in laws, customs and practices related to land and property.
i) Increased numbers of women in all decision making organs including the government.
j) The electoral system shall comply with the following principles–– not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender. This sets out the pace for the representation of women in the national assembly, the senate and the county .
k) The 2010 constitution compels ‘the state to take legislative and other measures to ensure that at least one third of members in elective or appointive bodies are not of the same gender’
l) The Constitution states that ‘treaties or conventions ratified by Kenya will form part of the law – this will include all the women’s rights related international instruments that the country has ratified in the past but has failed to implement, therefore creating a crucial platform to hold the government accountable to its women’s rights commitments.
m) Any government or decision making organ that does not comply with constitution is unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Kenya Vision 2030,
The first aspiration states;Na Tusirudi Nyuma
We ask for a Kenya where our rights and freedom are protected, where we are ruled by democracy.
The vision is anchored on three key pillars; economic, social and political governance
• The objective of the Social Pillar is investing in the people of Kenya in order to improve the quality of life for all Kenyans by targeting a cross-section of human and social welfare projects and programmes, specifically: Education and training Health Environment Housing and urbanisation Gender, children and social development,Youth and sports.
FLAGSHIP PROJECTS INCLUDE:
• Women Enterprise Fund
• Establishment of Consolidated Social Protection Fund
• Representation of People with Disabilities in Decision Making Process
• Gender Mainstreaming
• Affirmative Action Policy
• Gender Disaggregated Data
• Implementation of Disability Fund
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or CEDAW, established in 1979 main objectives is to call on countries “to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt
appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women.” It notes that stereotypes, customs
and norms impede the advancement of women, and states that, “a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and women
Indeed, Gender Parity can never be fully realized if the women are not, as a matter of law, empowered.
We now have the law in place. the cornerstone of gender promotion What’s the next step?
Are we there yet?
WHY MEN FOR WOMEN INITIATIVE
Change is certain but it often takes time and always starts in the mind
Who are women?
( You Must be familiar with the following quotes)
.- ‘In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman’.
-“As liberated as I consider myself to be, I think I’d have a problem taking orders from a woman.”
-‘whatever a man can do a woman can also do,,,,,,better’
What feelings within does such largely familiar quotes elicit within both genders?
For many years, women around the world have aggressively led efforts for women emancipation in leadership and up to today more and more women are vigorously adding their support to the women's movements.
This has yielded the tremendous fruits we enjoy today.
However, many feminist and scholars reports have been inclined to recommend an exclusive approach of women and leadership issues as ‘ women’s business’; Women Voice is Women’s Choice approach.
Many women’s leadership and empowerment initiatives largely assume that men are a homogenous group and not supportive of women’s empowerment.“The concept of ‘universal man’ approach that is largely implemented in most of these programs inaccurately assumes that all the male relatives are all alike, monolithic and inimical to women’s rights.
Consequently, the ‘Male involvement policy” in the gender agenda has been elusive.
The general tendency is to endorse gender equity at the highest levels, drive it among the women constituency target, but to have little to say about men and their potential roles in achieving it. Constructive Reference to men is notably absent from most gender agenda policies with most reference bulking and labelling them as ‘perpetrators of every of the injustice’
Through research, Feminist theories of patriarchy have identified men’s presence and dominance of political institutions as a major obstacle to women’s equality. Reflecting the emerging consensus in the gender and politics research community, the expert group emphasized that men have a crucial role to play in enhancing women’s representation and participation.
Men constitute an important asset and their input/contribution is significant if not critical in the efforts to improve and promote competitive women’s representation across all levels of leadership and decision making. Men themselves can play a significant role in promoting gender equality policy development. As allies, they can support women’s initiatives and movements in their efforts towards equality. As major ‘gatekeepers’ of policy-making institutions, men can leverage women into positions of power either through direct selection and appointment or through putting pressure on other men.Expert groups have agreed that the emphasis on men should be seen as a paradigm shift that allows political and power actors to focus on gender equality training for men in representative and participative arenas.
Efforts to involve them in ensuring competitive inclusion, while challenging, is indeed a paradigm shift. This will transform gender relations and promote gender equity thus contribute to a broader and competitive inclusion of women in decision making positions in all levels and across all sectors. Together, men and women have the obligation to ensure that gender is a neutral factor when accessing resources, rights, and opportunities.
So , who is to involve men?
‘Men must teach each other that real men do not violate or oppress women – and that a woman’s place is not just in the home or the field, but in schools and offices and boardrooms. ‘UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Men have a crucial role to play as fathers, friends, primary decision makers and community and opinion leaders, in speaking out and advocating for more inclusive and competitive approach for women in leadership and decision making and ensuring that priority attention is given to the issue. Men and women can provide positive role models based on their experience in leadership and inspire fellow men everywhere to speak for competitive inclusivity.
Forming a critical mass of current and former politicians, civil society and youth activists, religious and community leaders, cultural figures , business leaders, policy makers, opinion shapers, media owners and entertainment personalities and other prominent individuals – Working in their spheres of influence, men are prime change drivers and can undertake specific actions to foster, facilitate, support and ensure much more faster realization of broader and competitive inclusivity of women right from raising public awareness, to mobilizing goodwill and resources, to advocating for specific persons , behaviour and attitudes, to meeting with young men and boys, to re-establishing a renewed mindset, to holding government, and institutions and society accountable.
Having men as key allies, partners, clients, and harnessing their positive change driver ability would put to an end the combative ‘Us versus Them’ approach. It’s the best way to harness this perceived and or real negative energy of and generate a directional, supportive and decisive force that we direly need in this quest of changing attitudes and perception to women’s leadership and participation.
This is about us. its about all of us.
As critical actors, men can use their critical structures at this critical juncture in our country to fast track the achievement of more women in critical leadership and decision making positions.
Addressing this current inequity while fast tracking the achievement of more inclusion through arousing more women participate in seeking leadership competitively at all levels and in all sectors goes beyond passing and amending the constitution debate. It requires full participation and cooperation of men everywhere and establishing a Paradigm shift in how the approach of the gender agenda programs are structured at highest levels as well as domesticating this approach at the very basic societal unit: the family unit.
Given that men are largely a socialized in groups – in the schoolyard, in religious institutions, in work and after work, on the playing field – it is important and valuable to view this as an opportunity to offer men alternative group experiences steered by themselves, that challenge their tightly held traditional notions of women and leadership and thereby addressing the numerous barriers facing women and leadership.
The need to acknowledge men’s multiple roles and to see men as a diverse group. – from gatekeepers, to community leaders, to husbands/partners, to policymakers and program directors, to largely owners of means of production and land. Each of these specific roles requires more understanding of men’s gendered attitudes and realities. At the same time, we must acknowledge those men who largely go unnoticed, unsupported and sometimes branded and already are supportive and show gender-equitable attitudes and behaviours – men who can and already are acting as change agents. While involving them is paramount, An assessment of men’s reactions and attitudes about women’s leadership and empowerment must include an analysis of different categories of men, with such a diverse approach rather than assuming and presenting men as a monolithic group. Those men who already show support for women’s leadership, equality and empowerment can and should be engaged as change agents to reach other fellow men.
Many men are uncomfortable with stereotypical reality towards women in leadership and decision making and would intervene if they believed other men would support them and/or if they were invited involved to support such.
However, given the instrumental gains that women have made, particularly in the current settings where women have considerably less social and political power and influence than men, including men in women’s programme must not undo the fragile gains made in terms of women’s empowerment in leadership and decision making, should not put women at additional risk and should not reduce or drown women’s voices. It should do no harm, but should complement. Moreover, Kenyan women must continually appreciate and sustain the value and art of ‘noise making’ respectively and at the slightest opportunity. You now have ready listeners.
Men who are not used to working alongside women may be uncomfortable or try to keep themselves separate. But these men need to be kept engaged as women move into higher leadership positions. The challenge we should all seek to overcome is to avoid isolating men while at the same time enabling women to move into these largely male dominated positions competitively.
Therefore, while this may not be a ‘Loliondo’ panacea in addressing gender inequities and unbalanced power relationships, working with women and involving men will yield a positive effect through making then ‘passionately’ aware and offering a Strategic multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder partnerships, key to effective and renewed Societal and Social programming while creating opportunities for dialogue and desired paradigm shifts with regard to Women and Leadership among Men
This new dispensation cannot entertain ‘ business as usual approach’ . Together, we must join in recreating an alternative culture that will challenge the embedded traditions that dictate what women should or should not do or be. It certainly will make a few people uncomfortable, if it has not started raffling feathers yet, but as Hannah Rosenthal in her speech at the Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership Conference in 2005 said: ‘We have to be a little more comfortable with making others a little more uncomfortable, so we can look back in 30 years and say, “We did make a difference” .
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