Kenya stands well above its neighbors in the inclusion of women in key decision bodies, a new report by the World Bank shows.
The World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law Index says that the country scored 80.6 out of 100 compared to the regional average of 72.6 observed across Sub-Saharan Africa on women inclusion. The figure is also higher than the average score for Eastern and Southern Africa at 74.1.
According to the 2023 Women, Business and the Law dataset, Kenya’s score increase over the years has been largely due to the enactment of legislation on domestic violence, the prohibition of gender discrimination in employment as well as the mandate of equal remuneration for work of equal value.
“While Kenya has made significant strides in promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, including the enactment of the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act in 2015, there is still work to be done to ensure that women have the same legal rights as men in all areas covered by the Women, Business and the Law index,” said Mr Keith Hansen, World Bank Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda.
The report was launched during a workshop held by the World Bank Group in partnership with the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action.
The workshop which brought together key decision-makers, leaders, activists, and stakeholders across government, civil society, academia, private sector, and development partners was held in honour of the International Woman’s Day.
Mr Hansen said that the report’s findings will serve as a platform to motivate a discussion on improving gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the country.
And to address other gaps witnessed in mainstreaming women in leadership roles in the country, the report notes that Kenya may wish to consider implementing additional policies.
These include at least 14 weeks of paid leave for mothers, making paid parental leave available, prohibiting gender-based discrimination in access to credit, allowing women to register a business in the same way as a man, ensuring equal inheritance rights for both spouses, and accounting for periods of absence due to childcare in pension benefits.
At the regional level, Eastern and Southern African economies score on average 74.1 on the Women, Business and the Law Index, which is 3.0 points below the global average of 77.1.
The highest-scoring economy in the region is Mauritius (89.4). In contrast, the lowest scoring economy in the region is Sudan (29.4). Globally, of the 44 economies with scores higher than 90, none are in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Despite Eastern and Southern Africa’s progress in the areas of mobility, workplace, and entrepreneurship, challenges remain. Specifically, the area of parenthood, with an average score of 43.8 shows the largest room for improvement, as no economy in the region scores 100 on this indicator.
