Research conducted by Brighter Monday on 100 companies in Kenya in 2019 revealed that there were 10 per cent more men in high salary brackets than women. Despite having the same academic qualifications and skills as men, women in Kenya continue to receive low pay compared to men.
Gender inequalities in political and corporate leadership, education, and working hours are some of the factors contributing to the gender pay gap.
Despite the two-thirds gender rule in the 2010 Constitution, the gender gap is still large in the country’s leadership. In the just-concluded general election, Kenyans elected 49 women leaders. This was an improvement from the 29 women who were elected in 2017 and 11 in the 2013 election.
Despite the improvement, the number is still low as it formed just 13 per cent of the total number of elected leaders. It is 12 years since the 2010 Constitution was promulgated, but the country is yet to implement the two-thirds gender rule.
Apart from politics, the gap is also evident in the corporate world. In 2021, only four out of 62 companies listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange were headed by women.
When more women are elected into leadership positions, they are likely to fight for gender equality in the workplace and this can lead to a decrease in the gender pay gap.
Gender gap in higher education centres also contributes to the gender pay gap. According to the economic survey 2021, only 227,605 girls enrolled for higher education in universities in 2021 compared to 334,461 boys.
Despite having a slightly higher number of girls as compared to boys at the early stages of education, those who make it to higher education level remain relatively low.
According to the economic survey 2022, 146,295 out of the 185,634 students who failed to make it to higher education after completing their secondary education were girls. This was 79 per cent of the total number.
Many girls, especially those from low-income families, fail to make it to higher education level because of early marriage, inadequate funds to cater for their school fees and early pregnancy, among other factors.
As a result of the gender gap in institutions of higher learning, some women are disadvantaged in the formal job market because they fail to meet the academic qualifications required by employers. This further contributes to the large pay gap between men and women.
According to the Global Gender Gap report released by the World Economic Forum in July 2022, women lose more working hours than men in general. The fact that there is a gap in the time spent by men and women at work can also explain why there is a gender pay gap.
Gender pay gap not only affects women but also has a negative impact on men. IMF research conducted in 2018 revealed that women's involvement in the labour force contributes to an increase in men's incomes. When the incomes of both male and female workers increase, their purchasing power also increases, creating a good environment for businesses in the country.
Apart from the general rise in wages, female participation in the labour market also contributes to an increase in the country’s GDP. This in turn contributes to the country’s development.
Finally, women have actively taken up the role of breadwinners, they are footing the bills and other expenses in the family. This means that when women stay out of the job market, families experience financial constraints.
To narrow the gender pay gap, the government should step up in its efforts to create gender equality in the labour force. It starts with actually implementing the two-thirds gender rule to narrow the gender gap in the country’s leadership. When more women are elevated to leadership positions, they will, hopefully, push for women’s rights and this can consequently reduce the gender pay gap.
To reduce the gender gap in higher learning institutions, the government should reduce the minimum grade required by female students to join universities, colleges, and polytechnics.
Before education reforms in 2017, girls needed a slightly lower grade to join university compared to boys. This contributed to an increase in the number of girls transitioning from secondary education to tertiary education.
Finally, the difference in working hours that contributes to the gender pay gap should also be dealt with. Government can do this by putting in place regulations that will see corporations create environments that enable smoother childcare processes for mothers such as nursing rooms. This will mostly benefit women in the private sector who lose income due to the unavoidable breaks they take from work.
Journalism student at Multimedia University of Kenya