My feminist manifesto: why I tell more women's stories than men's
Our decision to report more on women and girls is grounded in data.
What you need to know:
- We focus on women's stories because they remain vastly underrepresented in media and leadership.
- Our aim isn't to diminish men's voices but to correct historical imbalances in whose stories matter.
- The data supports this approach—from water collection burdens to budget allocations, women's challenges deserve more coverage.
Dear Reader,
This week, I'd like to address a question I'm often asked as Gender Editor: "Why does your desk focus more on women's and girls' stories than men's?" It's a fair question that deserves a thoughtful response.
When our gender desk was established in 2019, we set out to mainstream gender reporting with a deliberate emphasis on women and girls. This wasn't a decision made lightly, but one grounded in data and a clear understanding of existing imbalances in media representation.
The recent Wan-Ifra Win Leadership Mapping Report for 2024 offers a sobering reminder of why this focus remains necessary. Women hold just 24 per cent of business and editorial leadership positions in media organisations across 19 countries. In the highest echelons of media management, women occupy only 18 per cent of business leadership roles. These figures reflect broader societal patterns where women remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces across politics, health, agriculture, science, and technology.
While we've seen encouraging progress in education, with more girls than boys sitting for KCSE examinations last year for the first time since 1989, this single milestone must be viewed within a larger context. The question remains: do these girls continue to college and secure employment at the same rates as their male counterparts? Do they advance to leadership positions? The data suggests otherwise.
As we prepare to mark World Water Day tomorrow, this perspective on gender inequality is particularly relevant. Consider that women and girls spend 250 million hours per day globally collecting water—three times more than men and boys. With 1.5 billion women and girls living in countries facing high drought exposure, climate vulnerability disproportionately affects them. Yet, women remain severely underrepresented in water governance, making up only a fraction of the water and sanitation sector workforce. These realities highlight why gender-focused reporting remains essential.
This isn't about dismissing men's experiences or contributions. Men's and boys' stories appear extensively across our platforms daily. Our news, business, sports, and politics sections naturally feature men's voices, achievements, and challenges. What we're attempting through the gender desk is to correct a historical imbalance in whose stories get told and whose perspectives shape our understanding of the world.
When we examine issues like water collection, where women and girls spend 250 million hours per day globally—three times more than men and boys—or the fact that only 27 per cent of countries successfully implement gender objectives in water management, we're highlighting systemic inequalities that affect half our population but receive disproportionately little attention.
I understand concerns about bias. But consider this; true balance doesn't mean giving equal space to all groups regardless of their starting position; it means acknowledging existing disparities and working to correct them. In a media landscape where men's experiences have traditionally defined what counts as "news," deliberate attention to women's stories serves as a necessary corrective.
This doesn't mean we ignore men's and boys' unique challenges. The Unesco report showing 132 million boys currently out of school globally deserves attention. Issues of boys' disengagement from education require thoughtful coverage and solutions. Our gender desk acknowledges these realities and covers them, though not with the same frequency as women's issues for the reasons I've outlined.
When I embrace being called a feminist, it's not because I value women above men, but because I support equity. As I often respond when questioned: "I do support equality for women. Don't you?" Our work through the stories we tell aims to create safe spaces free from gender-based violence, increase women's economic opportunities, and enhance participation in decision-making—goals that ultimately benefit everyone.
I want to be clear: our end game is not to see girls and women surpassing boys and men, creating a future where men would need affirmative action because society disadvantages them. Rather, we strive for genuine balance. Our vision aligns perfectly with Kenya's Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 on gender equality. We envision a world where gender no longer determines one's opportunities or limitations—a truly equal society where no one is left behind.
Our political landscape demonstrates why this balance matters. Women continue to bear the brunt of political realignments. With only five women Cabinet Secretaries currently serving and just one woman chairing a departmental committee in the National Assembly, the regression is concerning. When we examine budget allocations, the 2022/2023 financial year saw only 0.08 per cent of the total public sector budget allocated to gender equality initiatives—a mere Sh1.9 billion.
As we continue this journey, I welcome your feedback and engagement. Our collective goal is a media landscape that authentically represents all voices and experiences, creating a more accurate and complete picture of our shared humanity.
Sincerely,
