Each time I analyze the data of people using the Ngarua Maarifa centre to access information and knowledge, I never cease to wonder about the great gender disparity among visitors. I had never had a good answer for anyone wanting to know the reason why women visiting the Maarifa centre, are far less than men! The disparity is indeed great and calls for appropriate action to reverse the trend.
As I write this I have gotten an idea of how the disparity could have come to be. This is a brief account of what happened at the center one day, an experience, I thought could just be a tip of the iceberg in gender inequality and discrimination.
It was a busy day, people flew in and out seeking and requesting for services. Majority of employed people were filling their tax returns and sending through the Kenya revenue authorities online portal, young people were either accessing the social sites, looking for jobs opportunities or following their favorite sport teams online. Some just needed assistance to get PIN numbers.
A woman came to the centre seeking assistance to obtain the Kenya Revenue Authority’s personal identification (PIN) number. The lady left her details for processing and her PIN certificate was ready within the next few days.
She was informed to come and collect it. This time the lady was accompanied by her husband, the latter was half drunk, and was nagging at the woman. ‘‘What are you looking for in this computers without my knowledge?’’ He asked. The man demanded to know why he was not aware of what his wife was looking for. ‘‘Why didn’t you inform me you were going to this office?’’, '' and what are you looking for here that I don’t know about?’’ he asked angrily.
The fellow demanded that they should leave and go home, but the woman insisted that the document was already proceed and just needed to be printed. In a few minutes the PIN certificate was handed over to the woman, the man took hold of it and scrutinized it closely, he changed his moods, smiled and promised to came and process his own PIN certificate also.
This was just a pointer to what goes on in many households in the society. Women are restricted from going out not unless the husband or the male figure in her life is just aware of what she is going to get and approves the same. It becomes very difficult whenever the man is not aware of what needs to be done. That women should wait for men to seek information on their behalf leaves women dis-empowered and slow in making decisions.
The gender empowerment programs should also be re-evaluated, unless men are also sensitized, conflict could be brewing in households and families where the men feels that an empowered woman wants to take their positions.
