Women’s Experiences of Male-Dominant Behaviors in Kenya’s National Assembly 2013-2017

Abstract

This article examines male dominant behaviours in Kenya’s National Assembly 2013 – 2017. This was the first Kenyan legislature to house women elected on quotas. Although there was a substantial surge in the proportion of women from 7.62% in 2007 to 19.5% in 2013, they remained a distinct minority which, according to Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Critical Mass Theory (1971), is subject to male dominant behaviours. The article analyses the experiences of 11 women legislators of the male dominant behaviours using data from semi-structured interviews and contents of the National Assembly Hansard. Study respondents were selected through stratified sampling. Adopting the workplace perspective, the article argues that it is imperative for the National Assembly to be conducive for both women and men. Unfortunately, this is not so due to prevailing masculine cultures manifested in: backlash, conservativism, objectification, trivialisation, victim blaming, stereotyping and sexism. These behaviours essentially restricted the space for women parliamentarians and characterised the National Assembly as a patriarchal bastion. In order to address this, the article recommends: familiarisation of new women parliamentarians with gender dynamics in the legislature; establishment of an observatory on behaviours in parliament; and sensitisation of the leadership of the National Assembly towards development of rules that deter such behaviour.