This archive report was first published on 13 October 2019.
Published on October 13, 2019, a report by the Kenya Education For Employment Programme has shed light on the reasons behind the low enrollment of girls in technical courses and jobs.
The report found that most families still prefer to educate male members of the family, pushing the girl child to the periphery. This socialization affects girls' and boys' choice of courses at the tertiary level, with girls often opting for 'female-dominated' courses such as hospitality, beauty and therapy, fashion and design.
According to the report, industry stakeholders interviewed mentioned that they prefer employing men as opposed to women, citing socio-cultural perceptions and stereotypes of what women and men can and cannot do.
TVET Principal Secretary Kevit Desai acknowledged the big gender imbalance in TVETs, particularly in science, technology, and engineering courses. He noted that this imbalance mainly affects women and has far-reaching impacts, leading to low numbers of women in technical fields and a gender-biased labour force.
Desai also highlighted that women who enroll in TVET tend to choose courses that are 'female-dominated', and that they often end up in jobs with lower productivity and wages, slower career progression, and lower status compared to their male counterparts.
The report lists various barriers that block females from joining technical colleges, including negative attitude and stereotypes from parents, teachers, and peers, as well as the burden of care among the female gender.
Desai said that the government has been working to make TVET inclusive and increase access and participation for women and men as part of education reforms. He noted that the government has provided modern infrastructure in technical institutes and capacity building for TVET trainers.
