But some people even go so far as to say that if we use the Christian perspective of God creating Adam first, then women are better than men. Their theory is based on the principle of how an artist works. He creates the sketch and then makes adjustments to finally come up with his final piece of perfected work. According to this, they claim that men are the sketches and women are the final, perfected work. They claim that in countries like Iraq, where women are covered from head to foot, we have an example of how men are so intimidated by women that they have to hide their perfection.
As you can see, the people’s opinions were as diverse as they were interesting. In fact, the only job that is agreed to belong solely to women is that of mother and wife (although even that was under dispute by one or two people) but one point came out clearly: there are differences between men and women. Now that we have reached that conclusion, we have to find out what determines these differences. Are our gender differences genetic or does our environment dictate a lot more than we are willing to admit? If we were to create an artificial environment, one where women did things that are generally considered male oriented, and have children grow up in this environment, would we have a situation whereby due to socialization the female children would perform male oriented tasks or would the traits that we now consider female oriented still prevail? Basically, does society dictate our attitudes towards gender difference?
The answer to this can be brought out in the question – what happens to a child raised by animals? I mean, doesn’t it stand to reason that children who are brought up by monkeys would act like monkeys and children brought up by wolves would act like wolves? If that is true, then isn’t it proof that our environment directly affects what we view as our gender differences.
Some people would prefer to look at each individual as a mound of clay who is molded by society but whose characteristics will always remain the same. If that were true then it would be an accurate analysis to state that one’s surroundings do not alter a person’s personality, but rather shapes it. According to them, a child comes into the world as an individual and the differences in how we respond to our surroundings depend on that individuality - not on our gender. This can be supported by the fact that there are different environments all over the world. Different societies in different areas have different ways of doing things. However, in all these societies, there are things that are similar, especially in relation to gender. For example, the world over, women have been considered the more emotional sex: they supposedly cry more than their male counterparts. Now this doesn’t differ from culture to culture. It is one thing that, on average, can be considered a common factor. Obviously, all of these cultures didn’t just come up with the same idea coincidentally. It stands to reason that they didn’t just play a game of ‘odd-man-out’ to decide which was the most emotional sex. Obviously, the traits that made them come to this decision were constant irrespective of different environments. Doesn’t this then prove the fact that our environment doesn’t make our differences but rather moulds the ones we already have?
This can all be fairly summed up in the statement that differences are personal and are not created by our environment, thus there is no normal as every single person is unique. But wait a minute, if there isn’t any normal, then how do we define those ‘unusual’ traits we see in the odd person? Think about it - if there isn’t any normal, then who is abnormal? These so-called ‘abnormal’ people are, according to this argument, simply ‘different’; just like everyone else. The answer to that is simple: what we perceive as normal isn’t really so, rather it should be called average. That means that no two people are alike, but all people do share some common traits however differently these traits may be expressed from person to person. It is people who do not seem to follow these ‘traits’ that have had the term ‘abnormal’ bestowed on them.
In conclusion, I think we can safely say that men and women are different and that inequality will never go away, but ‘difference’ and ‘superiority’ are two very different things. We are not equal but we are of equivalent worth. What we have to do is learn to appreciate these differences, both equality and ability-wise, and not despise them. We have got to reach a stage where we can accept the superiority of different genders in different areas. Think of it as electronics and electricity. We would have no use for electronics without electricity but we would also have no need for electricity without electronics. No one gender is superior or equal to the other but we do need both if we are ever to have a productive society. Personally, I feel that something needs to change. Fact: Affirmative action undermines the ability of women to think, relate, and act on par with their male counterparts but Fact: Women have for too long been degraded and we need to come up with some sort of action to combat the problems this has left on our society. So what do we do? One suggestion is financial backing. Although this would be expensive in comparison to affirmative action, its benefits would be a lot more concrete. If we could concentrate more on providing funding for girls at all stages of their education then we would still be able to ensure that they got the adequate ‘push’ they need in today’s unequally yoked world. This would also begin to remove the mentality that women in certain posts are less qualified for them in comparison to their male counterparts because these women wouldn’t just have the posts ‘thrown’ at them. They would have to struggle for them on an equal footing with men – their financial backing being their assurance of an equal footing.
Perhaps another idea to look at in relation to education and gender is textbooks. The fact is, until recently, most textbooks referred to males as the doctors, lawyers and businessmen whereas the roles of women were left strictly for the knitting and home-making segment of occupation. In this case, girl’s education was self-defeating as the very education that was meant to emancipate them may have served to give women an inferiority complex. As they were receiving education, they were given the false impression that women belong strictly to certain sectors of society. Minute as this problem may seem, many women were forced to grow up with this idea of inadequacy; and it is this idea that has robbed our countries of very many female physicists, lawyers, surgeons, pediatricians and who knows, maybe even presidents.
Another thing that has to be looked at is the way gender difference has only recently become a matter of importance and even now isn’t given all the attention it deserves here in Africa. A reason for this is the fact that in Africa, there are very many pressing, life-and-death issues and unfortunately gender inequality takes the back seat in all our turmoil. But when we look at it closely, why is this only now a pressing matter? Why didn’t women rebel years ago? They were undoubtedly happy with the way things were, so what changed? The answer to this is influence. It began with colonisation but that was just the beginning. What colonisation did was open us to the outside world. It opened a door that can never really be closed. Because of it, we now have direct interaction with the world every single day. This interaction leads to sharing ideas and that is what we have now, new ideas. We came to the conclusion that gender inequality has always been a problem in our societies but it was not until people knew there was a different way of doing things that we could do something else.
But why exactly is gender difference such a great problem in Africa? Someone once said that Africans dislike change because we love to hold on to what is comfortable and reliable, as opposed to venturing out and trying new things. How true that is, I do not know, but it does shed some light on the plight we face in Africa. Is gender inequality more prevalent in African countries because we are less educated? If so, then wouldn’t education simply eliminate gender inequality? Regrettably, it isn’t that simple. Education goes a lot further than the four walls of a classroom. It includes everything we learn from our families, peers and even our eyes. In fact, the biggest impact on what we believe is not what we are told but what we see. It is one thing to tell a child that domestic violence is wrong, but if he goes home to the screams and pleading of his mother under his father’s brutal hand, what message does he get? We cannot expect others to change us, only we can change ourselves. All the teaching in the world could not erase what that boy saw at home and unless he makes a decision to turn his back on what many misinterpret as ‘tradition’ he will just become his father – enslaving some other poor woman to the bondage we call a ‘proper marriage’.
Then comes the age-old debate. It seems this question always arises when the words gender difference are mentioned. Are there jobs that men can do that women can’t or vice versa? There are as many answers to this question as there are people, yet no one can agree on a definite conclusion. To some people, it is a scientifically proven fact that men are more capable than women. Says one of our members Mr. Brian Kariuki, “…there is a reason why the women’s 100m record will never even come close to the men’s.” This is a very chauvinist comment, or is it? Why is it that from time immemorial what was considered the more physically straining work was given to the men? Obviously, these ideas had to stem from somewhere - could it be that men are stronger than women? If so, then doesn’t it stand to reason that things like construction work and security are better suited for men? However, the general response to this notion was that what women lack in brawn, they make up for in brains. According to one of our members, Ms. Njoki Ngure, that is the reason that “if the world was run by women there would be less wars. When men are confronted and opposed the first thing they think of is physical retaliation whereas women may quarrel but more often than not it is only verbal.” Ms. Ngure feels that because of this “women would exhaust peace talks and compromise and thus avoid wars that unfortunately have occurred in the past. Also, because of their natural care-giving personalities, child abuse would probably drop by 95%. Besides, women have lots of emotions but men have a lot of emotional problems. Women are called too emotional but what really happens is that they are more in touch with their emotions. Men, on the other hand, have emotional problems, they can’t even take control of the two or three emotions they do have. That is why women will always be better counselors and men often run away from responsibility; it involves a lot of emotions”.The fact is, much as we wouldn’t like to admit it, Kenya is still a long way from being anywhere close to gender equality. This is mainly because of the strong influence our culture has had on the way we think, respond and act on a day-to-day basis. This is primarily a good thing as we are able to hold on to important morals; many of which have been lost elsewhere due to the disintegration and eventual extinction of local cultures. However, our traditions have had a negative impact on the way we view difference in gender. Many times, women or girls are unfairly viewed as less capable or intellectual than their male counterparts.
We see this in the fact that women are often judged by their looks. This has become especially prevalent within the media, which has depicted bodily features such as ‘micro thin waists’ as mandatory for one to be considered beautiful. Often, this causes us (men and women alike) to consider body shape and facial features as a criterion for a woman’s worth. This means that the areas that really matter, like wits and intellect, are often neglected and women are viewed as good-looking domestic appliances as opposed to able-bodied, equal members of society.
A matter that is also brought to light in any discussion on gender inequality is the issue of adultery and promiscuity. Unfortunate as it is, these are things, irrespective of our beliefs or practices, which we meet with every day. What is so interesting about this topic is how it is regarded, especially in African society, in relation to gender. Whether we live in the ‘big city’ or deep in the most rural areas of our countries it is a generally accepted fact that a man or boy with multiple partners is ‘cool’ or ‘hip’. But how different it is for a woman, for we all know the horrid adjectives that follow a woman with multiple partners. ‘Cheap’, ‘loose’ and ‘tramp’ are words we have all come across, but how often in relation to a man?
The question of respect in particular fields also comes up. Is a male doctor more respected than a female one or vice versa? The unfortunate truth is that although many women manage to reach their desired goals career-wise, the fight to receive respect and acceptance in their respective fields will always be an ongoing struggle. The preparation for a discussion on Gender differences by the Kenyan delegation stated that, “Sometimes, the male students will not respect their female teacher…and will also have a bit of rivalry with their male teachers in their ambition to be better.” This statement supports the idea that attaining one’s goal and receiving the esteem that one deserves for achieving it are two very dissimilar things.
Perhaps something that should have been mentioned initially was the right to education. Although education, according to the UN and to Kenyan law, is a right all children are entitled to, it remains just that. A right. Alas, here in Kenya, there is a big difference between the law of the land and the law of society. According to the law of the land, all children have a right to education irrespective of their gender. Unfortunately, that law is not backed up by the current economic status of our country. Many families cannot afford to send all their children to school. So, we follow the law of society: “Educate boys at all cost and only deal with girls’ education when there is money to spare.”
Various governments and organisations have tried to take steps to eradicate this mentality – a form of this is called affirmative action. For example, Uganda has employed the use of a lower pass mark for girls at all stages of education. This means that a girl can get into a university or secondary school with lower marks than her male counterparts. Uganda also has laws that ensure that out of eleven leadership posts in a certain area, five are to be taken solely by women and the other six can be contested by both sexes. This is done to ensure that there is adequate representation of women in parliament. However, the two above methods of female emancipation are extremely controversial. Although many women see it as a step forward in the struggle to have women appreciated for their worth, others look at it as the worst form of female degradation yet. They say that lowering pass marks for females just makes them seem inadequate in comparison to men. They say that if a woman can do anything a man can do, there is no need for them to have lower pass marks. The same principle applies to the way that women are given posts that men cannot compete for - are women so unqualified in comparison to men that they don’t have a chance when competing for posts with them? They then say that this is also the reason women aren’t given their due respect when they get posts. Just handing the posts away to anyone who is born female undermines all that they have worked so hard to create; after all would you rather be treated by a qualified male doctor or his female counterpart who had her pass mark lowered? It gives the false impression that a man in any post is more qualified for it than a woman.
However, in retaliation, some people say that these women who have been given reduced pass marks deserve them. They claim that most of these women do not give up their previous duties in the household when they go to study. Studying often means that you have to get up earlier and go to sleep later in order to complete all of the tasks you have outside of school. This, they feel, is the reason why they deserve lowered pass marks - they do not have adequate study time and sometimes this hurts their marks. They also say that if we do not ‘slot’ these women into these posts then future female leaders, doctors, lawyers and engineers will have nothing to look forward to. These women serve as realistic goals young women can aspire to. They serve to help these girls keep hope – if she can do it, why can’t I?
But do we sometimes get so carried away with affirmative action that we end up creating a whole new problem? In a bid to try and eradicate female oppression have we began to construct an entirely new problem altogether? Could it be that with all the attention given to promoting girls and their rights we have begun to forget the boys? The fact is it would defeat the cause for us to eliminate a problem by forming a new one; unfortunately, that may be just what we are doing. With lowered pass marks for girls, posts preserved for women and an increased number of ‘pro-female’ laws, we may end up encouraging boys/men to give up. After all, why should they put in any effort if they are at an unfair disadvantage? A good example is the bank-managing sector; how many male bank managers do you see these days? Does it make sense to complain that there are too few women in a certain field and replace that with too few men? Perhaps that is the reason why so many men in Africa today are against female emancipation. Maybe they are just afraid that if they do not watch out, they too may need emancipation in the very near future.
When you mention culture, especially conflict in modern and ‘ancient’ culture, the term gender difference always comes to mind. But when you hear the term, what exactly do you think of? Do you picture women slaving away in a kitchen, or do you see a violent husband mercilessly whipping his wife to the point of death? You probably find the term synonymous with things like early marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the inability of girls to receive an education. But is that all? Unknown to many, gender differences are a part of every single day. It is impossible to go anywhere in the world and not find it looming its ugly head. The difference, in reality, is the degree to which it manifests itself in our societies.
But what exactly is this ‘it’ we have referred to so passionately? What is this real problem that all of us encounter at one time or another? What is this gender difference, or more accurately, how do we view men and women within society today?
From time immemorial, identification has been hugely important to humanity. We are always trying to comprehend the unknown by naming it. We have numerous names for the same thing, each name trying to depict a meaning or description of the thing. Scientific names, casual names, nicknames, they are all different but have one thing in common – they portray a part of the article. Everyone has a name, and so does everything, and this serves to give us an identity, some uniqueness, a feeling that there is something individual about us. Perhaps the reason there has been so much female oppression in African society is because, from the time they are born, that right to individuality is taken away. At first, they are ‘the-daughter-of-someone’. You have all heard a lady in Swahili being referred to as ‘Binti so-and-so’; (‘Binti’ is directly translated as daughter). Then they get married and, instead of this giving them a sense of freedom, they become ‘wife-of-so-and-so’ and when they finally get children, they become ‘mother-of-someone’. We have all come across a ‘Mama Mumo’ or ‘Mama Jomo’ at one time or another. All through their stages of development, women are tied to someone else - their fathers, their husbands and finally their sons. They are never appreciated as individuals. But that is finally beginning to change; women are being accepted as the commendable, praiseworthy equal members of society they are – or are they?
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