College students' view concerning purported male chauvinism

Abstract

A class of first year students taking a Bachelors degree in Education was requested to respond to the statement "the claim that women are unfairly treated and downtrodden is fraud." A sample of 9 7 responses was analyzed. The respondents referred to their experiences in their ethnic communities. Respondents came from a cross section of Kenyan tribes such as Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo, Kisii, Kalenjin, Kamba and Miji Kenda. Majority of the respondents (80%) rejected the statement and claimed that indeed women are down trodden and unfairly treated. However, a few respondents (8%), women inclusive, did not think that women are underprivileged in their communities. Another group (72%) could not make up their minds whether women were underprivileged or not. The paper discusses the views of the respondents and critically examines whether the claim for gender equality is working towards gender harmony or creating a gap between the sexes.