The Politics of Gender & Fertiltiy Regulation in Kenya: a Case Study of the Igembe

Abstract

The principal concern of this study is the analysis of the dynamics of gender relations and demographic trends in Kenya. It aims to provide a contribution to an issue at the heart of Kenya's development concerns and policy. Although the Kenya Government has stressed the relationship between status of women and fertility behaviour as an important area of research, a review of existing literature reveals gaps in investigating cultural and institutional determinants of fertility. This thesis addresses this imbalance. It also explores the intersection between gender ideologies and representations and demographic trends, an area that has remained relatively unexplored. The analysis ranges from the macro level of the politics of international aid to the micro level of decision making in the household. Firstly, in addressing the power relations between the Third World and the First, the thesis questions why the West sees 'over-population' as the problem in Africa. It considers the wider implications of the fertility control measures being implemented in the country for women's health and empowerment, and their applicability at this time when the AIDS pandemic has struck the population. Secondly, this thesis argues that one must transcend the analysis of gender in terms of the modernisation paradigm which has informed most population research, and emphasises the significance of focusing on gender ideologies and cultural representations and gender relations at the interpersonal level in specific social contexts. The argument is pursued through 'flflo in-depth examination of gender relations and fertility among the Igembe.of. Eastern Province of Kenya.