Determinants of Women Occupation Choice in Kenya

Abstract

According to ILO (2018) 44 % of women across the world are employed in formal occupations compared to 66% of men, representing a gender-employment gap of 22%.Women in Kenya continue to be underrepresented in technical, professional and managerial jobs within occupational structure (KNBS, 2014). This study investigated the determinants of occupational choice among women in Kenya's labour market using the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. The study employed a multinomial logit model.The occupations were grouped into professional, agriculture, household work, service work and manual work. The findings of the study established occupational choice was affected by factors that included age, age-squared educational level, marital status, wealth index, having a child, household size and place of residence. The study recommends that the government should promote female education especially higher levels of education. The government should also ensure that professional jobs are accessed by all women regardless of their socio-economic class.