Globalisation, Institutions and Empowerment of Women in Africa: Kenya's Experience

In male dominated societies like Kenya, men's superior status leading to power over women and control of valued resources, is supported by laws and policies that spell out and legitimise men's privileged and dominant status and is justified by religious, traditional, moral, and/or pseudo-scientific ideologies and beliefs. Such mechanisms and beliefs help to perpetuate gender inequality even in the face of structural changes that ought to diminish, if not completely undermine the strength of its operation. Institutionalised gender inequality limits women's participation in institutions and this reinforces their lack of empowerment. Women are unable to take advantage of the opening up of new markets and competition because they lack property rights; especially land rights that they can use as collateral for borrowing loans.