By Susan Majimbo
For a progressive society that prides itself on equality, the stagnation in Kenyan society is evident in matters regarding gender. Dorothy Smith, a feminist sociologist contends that a man’s body gives credibility to his utterances whereas a woman’s body takes it away from her.
When women are too loud they are labeled as disrespectful, when they choose to dress boldly, they are prostitutes, they are pretending to be men, or they are shameless. As such these assumptions are made about women who defy the expected standards of behavior, and they then escalate from non-verbal abuse and finally translate to physical violence.
Femicide is justified when women go against the grain of these expectations.
However, it is not too late to change that narrative. It is not too late to accept that our society has women who are sex workers, women who identify with the LGBTQ community, women who are willing to speak up and walk away from their toxic marriages, and women who just exist and choose to take different paths where life takes them.
While it might be difficult to accept this, the winds of change are blowing hard enough, and very soon we must deconstruct these ingrained perceptions, attitudes, and cultural norms that suppress the expression of women.
Great read, Susan. Indeed, women are given the worst of labels when they stand up for themselves or defy the expected standards of behavior set by society. This must end!