Debunking the Gender Myths

A myth is born.

From as early as I can remember, there have been so many gender myths out there that it is sometimes difficult to pick out which one is true and which one is an old folks' tale. For instance, I was made to believe that women are generally always more in number than men. It was such a 'matter-of-fact' statistic that I never even bothered to question it.

In Kenya, and possibly the whole of Africa, this belief is so deeply entrenched that if you walked into any market and shouted "Are women more than men?", you would receive a resounding yes! They would then go to the extent of quoting a statistical ratio of 1:7 or so whose origin remains a mystery to me. So after years and years of hearing the same thing over and over again, I came to accept it. Somehow, mother nature had decided to go out of balance and produced more homo sapiens of the female species than their male counterparts. This myth, together with many others, has played a huge part in shaping the society into what is it today.

When gender myths and stereotypes are allowed to take hold and grow, the result is gender bias. Gender bias is a situation whereby men and women are treated differently and often unfairly, based on gender-based misconceptions.  According to writer and editor, Allison Ford, the stereotype that men are more competitive and women more collaborative is a widespread bias. However, a comparative study conducted by professors from Columbia University on cultures such as the Maasai (a patriarchal tribe from Kenya/Tanzania) and the Khasi (a matrilineal group from India) revealed differences regarding this belief.

Among the Maasai, the men were found to be more competitive than the women were, but in the matrilineal society, it was the women who were more competitive. The researchers interpreted their findings as evidence that there is no biological basis for competitive drive. It was concluded that  the competitive differences between the sexes were merely social biases, reflecting the fact that young girls and boys in different societies are socialized differently. 

Another misconception is that men cannot execute certain tasks as well as women for example cooking and cleaning. The effect of this is that many men particularly in Africa wallow in unemployment due to the inability to see themselves as domestic cleaners and cooks. They would rather stay at home or look for construction site jobs that are not always available than be in an apron somewhere earning an honest living.

Getting the facts straight: Gender balance 

After all is said and done, it is clear that gender myths affect how our societies develop and limit opportunities for either sexes depending on the nature of the stereotype. It's time to clear the air and free ourselves from ideas that are purely opinions and views as opposed to hardcore facts.

So to debunk the age-old African myth, are women really more in number than men? NO. Our male to female ratio globally is at 1.01: 1 with the natural 'sex ratio at birth' being 105 males for every 100 females on average. In Kenya specifically, according to the National Census of 2009 and UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) 2015, the ratio is almost at 1:1 with males at 49.9% of the population and females at 50.1%.

There you have it, it's settled. We are balanced and all is well with the world again.Are there any other myths you would like to debunk? Feel free to share your knowledge. Cheers! 🍷

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