Gendered Division of Labour in the Household: A Kikuyu & Luhya Home

Co-authored: Karen Nabwire & John Ng'ang'a

In feminist economics, the societal conventions and acceptable norms that guide what men and women do contribute to the gendered division of labor. These tasks seemed static in the old days, but after urbanization, neoliberalism, and colonization (among other factors) emerged in African spaces, there has been a paradigm shift in how current generations interact with culture and tradition. With this shift, it is not unusual to see forums challenging formally accepted traditional practices. One could almost sense an antagonistic relationship between men and women, as there is a constant negotiation of what should be carried forward and what should be declared outrightly oppressive. As this push and pull continues, societies continue to grapple with inequalities in opportunities, power & wages. 

Will we ever strike the right balance?

In the Kenyan context, household gender norms are experienced differently across cultures and tribes. What we find in the Kikuyu set-up may be worlds away from what is accepted in the Luhya home, even though they are both Bantu ethnic groups. Couples who have intermarried may pass on a ‘cocktail’ to their children that is not recognized in either tribe in a bid to harmonize their way of life.

To get a practical glimpse of what goes on within actual households, here is John’s narration of growing up in a Kikuyu household.

John’s Experience

John (co-author) is in his kitchen, chopping onions in Cameroon.

In my academic life, I have had the privilege of studying the gendered division of labor. However, I was not conscious of how my actions and interactions at home played a role in shaping the attitude of the people around me about gender roles until it played out.

It was a Saturday morning, and my two sisters, brother, and I were at home. As we enjoyed sweet potatoes and a cup of milk for breakfast, we were also discussing how we would share household chores. Naturally, as the firstborn, I led this discussion as I allowed my siblings to volunteer for chores that interested them. New energy filled the air as each one of us guarded their interests.

While at it, my sisters point out that my younger brother is not usually agreeable to doing chores like washing utensils and cooking, as I am. They challenged him to prove them wrong, but he blatantly refused!

This incident got me thinking: "Why would brothers raised in the same household have opposite views on how roles should be shared at home?" After following up, I discovered that my brother believed there are certain roles a man should not take on. Therefore, such tasks are for women, specifically my mother and sisters. 

What could have led to this worldview?

As I reflected on our upbringing, I realized there was one defining experience that may have shaped our differing perspectives. Unlike my brother, I was old enough to witness my father actively engage in all kinds of household tasks: cooking, cleaning, caring, fixing, without ever making it seem unusual. This quietly blurred the lines between what was “men’s work” and “women’s work” as he modelled a sense of shared responsibility and mutual respect in the home. Sadly, he is now deceased. My brother, being much younger, wasn’t able to grasp or interpret those moments in the same way. 

Evidently, our socialization & early experiences as toddlers have the potential to influence our later perceptions of gendered division of labor. It shapes the foundational architecture of their brains. 

Since that Saturday, we had to develop a new metric for sharing duties in our household. It has to start by having open communication, assigning duties based on availability and interest, and being flexible and adaptable. In retrospect, I am glad that my father didn’t do chores as a favor to my mum but as part of who he was and our family rhythm.

 

Nabwire’s Experience

Like John, my Luhya father was active in the home. After his retirement, he was at home as my mum continued her service. As the lastborn, I was mostly present in the sunset season of his life, as my siblings had already transitioned out of the house. 

My mum attests that in all their married life, she never made the bed. That was my dad’s (self-assigned) job as my mum would often dash out to make breakfast. He would also wash clothes for my mother. How would we know it was my dad’s handiwork? He would hang the clothes with matching color pegs. I tend to think the keen color coordination was because he was an engineer, thus thinking in electrical wiring color codes. Who knows?

In the kitchen, he had several failed attempts, but could cook up a meal while living away from home for work. I recall an incident where he wanted to surprise the family with a great beef stew meal. Unfortunately (for him), many Kenyan households are big on recycling tins. It is not unusual to find similar jam jars with sugar, salt, or nuts. What befell him was not being able to distinguish salt from baking powder, as they were both in recycled jam containers. I leave the taste of the meat to your imagination. I digress.

Overall, my mother and father had a balance. My mother's tilt was toward child care and homemaking, which she excellently executed. My brother and elder sisters also had a duty roster that ensured chores were fairly balanced. These examples have been a great pillar for me as I interacted with contrary realities. I feel empowered to negotiate the same balance and pursue a realistic approach to the division of labor.

Frank Masanja (my sister's husband) at my mother's home washing utensils in Kenya.

Conclusion

Many of us are not conscious of the existence of socially constructed expectations, behaviors, and attitudes that our society considers appropriate for men and women, particularly when it comes to deciding tasks in the household. In addition, those who are aware of this inequality in both private and public life fail to advocate for a fairer approach. 

It is time not only to meditate but also to act on the words of Rosemary Crompton; “Division of labor between men and women significantly contributes to gender-based material and social inequalities. Women predominantly bear the responsibility for unpaid caring and domestic work and do not receive the same rewards from paid employment as men.”

What is your lived experience and how has it affected how you interact with household tasks?

Ps. We do not claim that our lived experiences represent all Kikuyu and Luhya homes. We amplify our stories to reflect a counter-narrative to the traditional view of traditional African men. We also acknowledge that currently, many household tasks are set up in a normative manner.

LinkedIn: John Ng'ang'a Ndung'u and Nabwire Kilwake

John is a Researcher and Governance Fellow 

Nabwire is a Researcher and Social Entrepreneur.