Gender equality at workplace still debatable in Kenya -but is there improvement

A research conducted by Equileap Kenya in November 2019, shows that about 90 percent of women in Kenya work in informal sector.

The research was conducted based on four key areas including Gender balance, Gender pay gap, Paid parental leave and the Anti-sexual harassment policies, undertaken by Kenyan companies.

The study was conducted from about 60 companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).

Based on gender balance, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Ltd was ranked number one with a score of 63%(and among top 50 companies globally).

Future improvements

The global performer on gender equality according to Equileap was Diago, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company, standing at 74% score.

The study found possibilities of change with a 26 % score among Kenyan companies, predicting that come 2025, many companies will have embraced gender equality at work place.

The strong performing companies on gender equality were found to be Corporate companies like Safaricom.

The top performing sector on gender equality was communication, with a percentage score of 34%, compared to the global performance of 30%.

The research found limited transparency on gender pay gap among companies studied. Out of 61 companies,37 (63%) did not disclose their pay information.

Women in board membership stood at 23%,showing an improvement in most companies.

There were women seven (7) CEOs in different companies with 6(10%) companies having signed the UN Women Empowerment Principles (WEP).

The study also found globally, there is limited disclosure from companies regarding their commitment to women’s empowerment, transparency and accountability.