Today is the World Men’s Day celebrated across the Globe but here in Kenya the day has gone much unnoticed given the many challenges facing the male folk and the boychild today.
The male has been on the decline from observations and trends of the Kenyan society today.
When one takes a stroll in the many university campuses, most evening classes are predominantly female, leaving one to wonder where the men are.
In some areas, in the country the youth mainly male have been sunk in drugs and substance abuse that even preforming male roles in the family has been wanting.
In Nyeri and Kiambu, for instance women have come out demonstrating asking why their men are not present to provide conjugal right between the sheets.
United Nations statistics show that the world’s population is roughly 50.4 per cent male and 49.6 per cent female, or a male-to-female ratio of 102 to 100.
Though this ratio varies by age group, with more men and boys in younger age groups and more women in older age groups in what is known as the “gender spiral”.
In 2023 Kenya’s population aggregated by gender is approximately 27.8 million female and 27.3 million.
Whilst Kenya has made steps in gender parity, currently at 95 per cent, there is a growing concern that the boy child has been left behind.
It has been a phenomenon of digging one hole to fill another.
When for example one attends the Kenya Music Festival that brings over 150,000 learners, there is a stark indication how boys are participating less and less with nearly 40 per cent boys and 60 per cent girls participating.
Additionally, many, scholarships and financial solutions are targeting the girl child as the boy child is left behind.
The situation is exacerbated by the growing numbers of single mothers in Kenya with many boys increasingly lacking a father figure as they grow up.
According to National Institute of Health (NIH), the number of single-parent families in Kenya has increased from 25 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent in 2019.
The likelihood of becoming a single mother by age 45 is 59.5 per cent in Kenya, which is one of the highest rates in Africa.
According to a research paper “The Tragedy of the Boy Child amid Souring Girl Child Empowerment” by Emily Moraa Nyangena published in the reputable East African Scholars Journal of Education, Humanities and Literature, the consistent campaign for awareness of girl’s empowerment seems to be working but at the cost of the boy child.
Extensive analysis of data indicates that boy child is neglected entirely and has lost his place in the society.
In Kenya today we have more girls in school as compared to boys and the girls do better academically as compared to boys.
Never had enrolment of girls in any primary school grade nationally had exceeded that of boys.
These are augmented by statistics from the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), there is a consensus within the country that the boy child has been left behind. Their report on the perception of the neglected status of the boy child led to startling revelations.
“Majority, 92 per cent, of the respondents agreed that the boy child is lagging in the gender equality agenda whereas 8 per cent disagreed,” the study showed. Participants in the survey conducted in Kiambu and other counties agreed that if no interventions are made, the situation may worsen.
Further, data from the Ministry of Education shows that in the years of 2019 and 2020, more females than males sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination in Kiambu.
In 2019, 15,997 girls took the exam against 14, 903 boys. In 2020, the numbers stood at 16,952 and 16,037 respectively.
