Gender Roles and Social Value in Kisii Household

1. The Contemporary Kisii Household:Gender Roles, Identity and Social Value in Everyday Life.

2. Introduction • Household Background Information • In Kisii households there is an ongoing competition for and control over scarce resources and struggles between genders over new roles and obligations. • In this chapter Silberschmidt: • Explores what types of new social roles and new social value systems have emerged for men and women respectively. • Examines how new social values interact with male and female identity and gender relations.

3. The Roles of Men • Tea Picking • Night watchmen • Local Contract Workers • Seasonal Basis • Government Employees • Artisans • Matatu Drivers • Construction of Homes • Wooden Frame and Thatching • Farmers? • If you own land you are a farmer • Men will sometimes clear land. • Women 54%, Men 38%, Children 8%

4. The Roles of Women • Increased significantly since colonial era • Farming • Smaller plots and same tools • Land has to provide both home consumption and cash • New types of maize can be harvested twice a year. • Fetch water and firewood • Dry, shell, store, cook food • Local market trading and selling • This includes transport • Purchase basic necessities • Sugar, salt, soap, and other

5. Resource Management and Control • Men still own land and cattle • Only men have the right to sell the land • Irresponsible. Self vs. Household gain • Women have potential power • Control over production, reproduction and consumption • Men's absence give women control over: • Land use, crop income, marketing • Women and coping strategies • Middleman and Changaa • Women’s weapons • Withdrawal from direct labor and reproductive labor-producing activity.

6. Gendered Contributions to Household • Both men and women agree that husbands should provide wives and children with: • Proper clothing, health expenses, school uniforms, school books, school funds, not to mention school fees for secondary education. • Agricultural implements and cattle. • Women should provide: • Food for the family

7. Spousal Negotiations • Men are the heads of households and decision makers • Complaining vs. Consulting • Women’s main reasons for quarreling include: • Economic neglect, lack of interest in children’s education and their laziness. • Men’s main worries • Poisoning by kababa—#2 reason why women go to jail • Neither spouse trusts the other

8. Other Household Issues • Alcohol consumption • Men only, socially required, discuss problems, 2 reason for drinking • Violence Against Women • Corrective behavior, socially accepted, increasing, 3 reasons for beatings • Psychological disorders • Men- inadequate, incompetent, insecure, inferior, persecuted, and pressured • Women- stress about making ends meet.

9. Conclusions • Men’s domain and their social role have been drastically reduced, women’s domain, including their independence, has increased. • In precolonial times, as head of the household, the man’s role was not directly linked to economic responsibility, though men had to secure women’s access to the means of production. During colonial times, the provider ideology emerged, and with it new obligations and new responsibilities for men. These new obligations were not assigned social value. • The substantial change in the need for contributions to family support challenged the ideology of separate spheres and a majority of men were neither able nor prepared to deal with their responsibilities and obligations. • Gusii msn’s command over resources has seriously diminished. So has their political might, their social relationships, etc. Their deference and respect due from their wives is questioned—and so is their control over women.

10. Bibliography • http://home.attbi.com/~jomoke/childen.jpg • Silberschmidt, Margarethe. “Women Forget that Men are the Masters”: Gender Antagonism and Socio-Economic Change in Kisii District, Kenya. Sweden: Elanders Gotab