Socio-Cultural Determinants of Gender Disparities in Kenyan Organizations

Abstract

Despite various efforts and some notable gains, women's representation in wage employment remains low, forming less than 30% of wage employment in Kenya. The main objective of this study was to identify the levels and the social-cultural factors that influence gender disparities at the selected organizations in the manufacturing, the service sector and the related trade unions in Kenya. The disparities were examined at three levels, namely: the operational, the management and the trade union. Although several socio-cultural factors influencing gender disparities at work have been enumerated, the study investigated their relative importance to the industrial occupations in the selected organizations and the respective trade unions in Kenya. The study was guided by the structuralism theory and the concepts of division of labor. The fundamental conceptual proposition was that social structure influences socialization, which may lead to gender disparities and the related division of labour. The study used the descriptive survey research design to obtain data from the manufacturing and service sector industries and the related trade unions. Primary data were obtained from 208 respondents drawn from operational, management and trade union levels using interviews and questionnaires, while organizations' records were used for secondary data. The data were then coded and converted to numerical codes, which represent the attributes of the various variables of the proposed study. Data were summarized using percentages, ratios, frequencies and the measures of central tendency. The findings revealed that despite the many strategies employed, gender disparities continue to persist in formal employment in Kenya. The margins of disparities were seen to increase up the organizational hierarchy. Some of the specific possible causes of disparities included family responsibilities, social stereotypes and spouse income. The key recommendations made included the introduction of flexi-time working arrangements and care centres at the workplace.