Perceptions of men and women on gendered access and control of land and dairy products in Muranga county, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate men and women’s perceptions on gendered access and control of land and dairy products in Murang’a County-Kenya. It was guided by the Marxist feminism theory advanced by Friedrich Engels (1884) and Women Empowerment Framework (WEF) by Sarah Longwe (1991). The study utilized a cross-sectional research design.Further, a purposive sampling technique was used to select Kigumo Sub-county as the area of the study, out of the six sub-counties in Murang’a County. Additionally, a simple random sampling technique was used to select four hundred and forty-two (442) male and female headed households, practicing dairy farming in the Sub-county to participate in the study. Also selected to participate in the study were the community leaders and key county officers as key informants. Study instruments utilized for the purpose of generating the required datawere interview schedules for the selected male and female household heads, a guided questionnaire for the key informants and an observation checklist. Data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Data analysis revealed that male and female household heads held different perceptions in relation to gendered access and control to land and dairy products, with a biasagainst women. The perceptions were found to have been mostly influenced by culture, religion, lack of awareness on legal requirements and individuals’ level of formal education. GSJ