Men step up to ease women’s care burden in Kenya
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
In Kenya, men are increasingly taking on more household responsibilities, addressing a long-standing imbalance in unpaid care work.
Women perform 25.8 billion hours of unpaid care work annually, compared to 4.8 billion hours by men, a disparity that limits their opportunities for economic and public life.
Advocates like Nicholas Kodei of Hand in Hand are challenging cultural norms within communities, such as the Maasai, by using data to demonstrate the unequal distribution of labor and encouraging men to participate in caregiving from a young age. John Kapalei exemplifies this shift, having begun assisting with household chores after realizing the physical strain on his wife when she became ill.
UN Women is also campaigning for gender equality in care work, supporting policies like Kenya’s recently endorsed National Care Policy. This policy aims to formally recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care and domestic labor, viewing it as an essential component of economic growth. The National Care Policy, developed with support from UN Women, proposes establishing childcare centers and elder care facilities and providing training and compensation for caregivers.
Gender specialist Crispin Afifu calls the policy a historic step, as the Kenyan government now formally recognizes care as essential infrastructure for both social wellbeing and national development.
