Much has happened in the struggle for women’s empowerment since the first International Women’s Day in 1911. Significant milestones have shaped this journey, including the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995, which identified poverty as one of the major catalysts of inequalities between women and men.
Over the years, International Women’s Day has evolved from a moment of protest against discrimination into an occasion to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about gender equality, call for positive change, and advocate for accelerated gender parity. Arguably, more women have risen through social, economic, and political ranks. In Kenya, the Constitution created the office of Woman Representative, and the number of women serving as CEOs and leaders in different sectors has steadily increased.
Yet, while more women are breaking the glass ceiling, that ceiling remains too high for many. The higher a woman rises on the socio-economic and political ladder, the harder that glass often becomes. As a result, women remain underrepresented in senior management and leadership positions.
Although progress has been made toward gender equality, much remains to be done to achieve gender equity. Equality alone has not sufficiently addressed the historical and structural disadvantages faced by women in Kenya and across the world. Even when women sit in boardrooms, their influence on major decisions is sometimes limited. Efforts to enforce the constitutional one-third gender rule, designed to enhance women’s participation in policy formulation and implementation, continue to face subtle resistance from deeply entrenched attitudes that still shape national conversations around gender equality.
It is therefore not surprising that the World Economic Forum estimates that full gender parity globally may not be achieved until 2148.
In Kenya’s political discourse, some argue that women are their own worst enemies, claiming that with their numbers alone—over half the country’s population—they could easily secure equal power and representation. But history teaches us that numbers do not automatically translate into power.
Women’s emancipation has never been won through numbers alone, but through determination, organization, and resolve. From the women of ancient Greece who united to end war, to Russian women who mobilized in 1917 under the banner “Bread and Peace,” women have advanced justice through collective action and moral courage.
Much has been achieved in advancing gender equality, but far more must be done to realize gender equity. What then must be done? Many things. For a start, we must confront the persistent narrative that portrays the rise of women as the fall of men. This misguided belief—that women’s empowerment is a scheme to subjugate men—has often been used by some traditionalists to justify discrimination against women.
While there have been extreme cases of radical feminism, the struggle for gender equality has never been about one gender declaring war on the other. This is not a gender war; it is an engagement to correct imbalance. It is not a battle of the sexes, but a battle against bias.
In the fight for greater space in society and a stronger voice in policy formulation and implementation, women in Kenya are not seeking the downfall of men. Rather, they are striving for a better society for both men and women—a society where, as Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai often reminded us, a person’s potential and value are not determined by the anatomy below the belt.
About the Author
Linda Bach is the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Editors Guild and a veteran Kenyan journalist with more than 15 years of experience in the media industry. She previously served as Quality Assurance Editor at Standard Group and has been actively involved in advancing editorial standards, media freedom, and professional journalism in Kenya.
