A number of heavily entrenched cultural practices and policy orientation continue to frustrate efforts and gender equity in our country. In places where they require pay slips, given the lower numbers of women in formal employment, they still struggle to get secured financial assistance or loans to help them start businesses. Work place discrimination is still prevalent in some sectors, which tend to push women out of formal jobs and the circle continues. A number of women in informal businesses make several attempts to save and even in formal employment, they form the bulk of members of cooperative movement in Kenya. Without sufficient safeguards and barriers to access such fundamental things like mortgages, loans or sitting on the decision making tables of key sectors, women empowerment will still remain a challenge.

Source: The Star June 10, 2021 18:33 UTC