Gender Roles and Women Participation in Bee Keeping: A Focus on Baringo South Sub-County, Baringo County

Abstract

This study acknowledges that women participation in bee keeping is still low despite the initiatives and programs by the government and non-governmental organizations to have women participate in bee keeping in Baringo South Sub- County. The study identified that one of the factors blamed in low participation of women in bee farming in most developing countries is gender roles. This is particularly evident in male dominated societies. The study therefore sought to determine the influence of gender roles on women participation in Bee Keeping in Baringo South Sub- County. The study collected data from 128 women sampled from women engaged in bee farming in the sub-county. Data was collected through research questionnaires with closed ended questions that were self-administer by the researcher. The study revealed that gender roles had a significant influence on women participation in beekeeping. Women had huge gender roles that hampered their participation in beekeeping. The study also revealed that the high burden of gender roles on women presented itself in forms such as childrearing, household chores, income generating activities, provision of labour (paid and unpaid) and community development roles, influence female participation in bee keeping. The study recommends that gender roles should not be assigned according to biological and cultural stereotyping in order to create time for women to participate in bee keeping. Greater load with gender roles reduces women participation in beekeeping. Promotion of time saving technologies for household chores could go a long way in creating the much needed time necessary for women participation in beekeeping.