Gendered Democratic Participation on Social Media- Kenyas Social Media

Author(s)

Elias Odula Barasa ,

Download Full PDF Pages: 01-10 | Views: 241 | Downloads: 85 | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8218865

Volume 12 - July 2023 (07)

Abstract

Gender is an important consideration in development. It is a way of looking at how social norms and power structures impact on the lives and opportunities available to different groups of men and women. Globally, more women than men live in poverty. Women are also less likely than men to receive basic education and to be appointed to a political position nationally and internationally. Understanding that men and women, boys and girls experience poverty differently, and face different barriers in accessing services, economic resources and political opportunities, helps to target interventions.  Before undertaking a gender analysis, it is important to understand the concept of ‘gender’. The World Development Report (WDR) 2012 defines gender as socially constructed norms and ideologies, which determine the behaviour and actions of men and women. Understanding these gender relations and the power dynamics behind them is a prerequisite for understanding individuals’ access to and distribution of resources, their ability to make decisions and the ways in which women and men, boys and girls are affected by political processes and social development.  Compared with men, women control fewer political and economic resources, including land, employment and traditional positions of authority. Acknowledging and incorporating these gender inequalities into programmes and analyses is therefore extremely important, both from a human rights perspective and to maximize impact and socioeconomic development.  The WDR highlights the importance of directly targeting the persistent constraints and obstacles to women’s equality (especially in areas of economic empowerment, educational gaps, household/societal voice, and violence against women) in order to enhance productivity and improve longer-term development outcomes.  Gender equality is also important for sustainable peace, and there is a growing body of empirical evidence suggesting that a higher level of gender inequality is associated with higher risks of internal conflict.

Keywords

Gendered, Democratic, Participation, Social Media and Kenya

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