Topic:
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Owen Rizor
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Women’s Economic Empowerment
Country: Kenya
Delegate: Owen Rizor
Women’s rights are a huge case in Kenya, especially in the workplace and economy. Women are also limited in social environments and the political process. The normal stereotypes surrounding women are still prevalent in Kenyan culture.
In urban areas of Kenya, 40% of women are generally empowered. They have more of a change to earn an education and explore opportunities. In rural areas, it’s about half of that number. In rich households, 53% of women are empowered. In poor households, only 7% are empowered. Overall, 29% of Kenyan women can affectively participate in the economy, society, and political process. Kenya has enacted multiple laws from 2006-2020 to attempt to raise this number and lessen gender inequality.
The United Nations has 17 main goals. The 5th is working towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. The UN has acknowledged sexual violence, early marriage, FGM, and other issues that affect woman. They have also acknowledged the lack of women in government and how sexual crimes are still at a very high number: “1 in 5 women and girls between 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.” And that is only in relationships. When you combine that number with non-relationship acts of sexual violence, the number becomes much larger.
Kenya believes that there needs to be enforcement on laws banning acts of sexual violence. There is a lot of gender predjudice in almost all (if not all) the countries in the world. This explains why many sex offenders walk free. If we want to work towards gender equality, we must also fix our laws and judicial systems. We must also even out pay for male and female employees and give females proper places in work and political environments.
Works Cited
“Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/.
“New Women’s Empowerment Index for Kenyan Women and Girls.” Africa, 13 Aug. 2020, https://africa.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2020/08/womens-empowerment-index-for–kenyan-women-and-girls.
