Implications of Gender Stereotypes on Community Development Initiatives in Dadaab, Garissa County, Kenya

Abstract

This paper examined the implications of gender stereotypes on community development initiatives in Dadaab region of Garissa County in Kenya using data collected for an MA Thesis. The paper has been motivated by increased perceptions that gender stereotyping has continued to bar development especially in developing countries such as Kenya. The Specific objectives of this study were; to examine how socially-constructed gender norms influence community development in Dadaab Sub County, to explore how religious beliefs on gender influence community development, and to assess the influence of cultural beliefs on gender in community development in Dadaab Sub County. The study adopted correlational design which engaged 293 men and women respondents selected through Convenience sampling. Social role and gender schema theories were used to explain behavior of men and women based on societal expectations and the process of gender construction and maintenance through cognitive organization and interpretation. Data was collected using focus groups and interview schedule. The study found out that men and women had divided roles where responsibilities for men in the families included; protecting the families from danger, decision making, fending for the family as a bread winner, transportation of animals from one place to another, disciplining the children, fencing, digging wells and boreholes and ensuring the woman does not struggle to work in order to feed a family. Additional findings show that the community in Dadaab believes that gender equality is demeaning to men by affecting their roles in the family. The inequality has also deprived women of opportunity for employment hence, reduces the household income in the long run. The study found out that the cultural belief in the Somali community in Dadaab adopts a patriarchal framework, where the man is expected to be the breadwinner and head of the household with an obligation of providing the family with steady and reliable income. The study recommends deconstruction of the patriarchal nature of the Somali community that downplays the role of women in society by way of policy to manage stereotyping of women and advocate for gender equality and social inclusion and participation of both for sustainable development.