The State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action has sought to incorporate the findings of the Women RISE initiative to the Kenya National Care Policy which seeks to address the longstanding issue of unpaid domestic and care work predominantly performed by women and girls.
The Women RISE initiative has over the last three years fostered action-oriented, gender-transformative research to explore the link between women’s health and their paid or unpaid work within COVID-19 contexts.
The initiative had 23 research teams from Africa, Latin America and Asia with Canadian Partner Institutions and managed by African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and Graduate School of Media and Communications, Aga Khan University
Speaking during the opening of the end of project workshop, the State Department’s Secretary for Gender Dr. Josephine Obonyo insisted that despite the triple threats of climate change, conflict, and COVID-19 slowing progress on gender equality, the commitment to improving women’s rights remains strong.
Dr Obonyo noted that findings from initiatives like Women RISE are crucial in advancing long-term, unwavering support for transformative change.
“We must seize every opportunity to propel women towards equality, shift attitudes and perceptions, and highlight their contributions while embedding gender equality into policy and practice,” urged Dr Obonyo.
She maintained that the insights gained during the project workshop will significantly inform the National Care Policy, which awaits Cabinet approval and seeks to recognize, redistribute, and fairly compensate care work while challenging traditional gender roles.
Meanwhile, the Time Use Survey 2021 report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicates that women spend at least 3 hours and 36 minutes more than their male counterparts per day on unpaid care and domestic work which has significant impact on women’s physical, mental and economic well-being; limiting their access to healthcare while increasing stress and fatigue.
Concurrently, APHRC Executive Director Catherine Kyobutungi reported that the Covid-19 pandemic unearthed and amplified work burdens on women which has had an impact on their health.
This research, according to Kyobutungi, has provided catalysing results that will drive decision making which will lead to transformative change.
“As an African institution leading a global initiative with partners across the world, we are proud to have brought together this global consortium,” she expressed.
Of the 23 research teams, the four projects in Kenya align with the thematic areas prioritized by the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action on economic empowerment of women, promoting access to quality health and gender equality.
Additionally, Prof Nancy Booker, Dean Graduate School of Media and Communications, Aga Khan University asserted that the University’s role in supporting the documentation and highlighting the work the research teams have been doing has been profound.
“We have been helping to deconstruct the research by making it palatable for different stakeholders in the various geographies and documenting the research work which provides great credibility to the work that has been done,” she explained, adding that this has made it easier to disseminate the findings and ultimately enlighten the public on the knowledge that has implicated in this research.
Whereas Women RISE emphasises knowledge mobilization, capacity building, and networking to ensure impactful outcomes, the Director of Global Health International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Montasser Kamal stressed that funding scientific cross-sectorial collaboration and evidence is important in advancing policies based on evidence
“This initiative has been imperative in providing context-specific solutions when it comes to the interface between women’s health and work, both paid and unpaid pre and post the COVID-19 pandemic,” he reiterated.
By Michael Omondi