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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