Empowering more women does not mean war on men

Happy International Women's Day [Courtesy]

Much has happened in the struggle for women's empowerment since the first International Women’s Day on March 19, 1911. A lot, including the landmark fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing between September 4 and 15, 1995, which identified poverty as one of the major catalysts of inequalities between women and men.

Over the years, International Women’s Day has evolved from a moment of protest against discrimination into an occasion to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about gender equality, call for positive change, and lobby for accelerated gender parity. Arguably, more women have risen through the social, economic, and political ranks. Kenya boasts a constitutional office of Woman Representative, and the number of women CEOs has increased significantly. Yet, while more women break the glass ceiling, that ceiling remains too high for many. The higher a woman rises on the socio-economic and political ladder, the harder the glass seems to become. The result is that women still remain underrepresented in senior management and leadership.