| dc.description.abstract | The principal concern of this study is the analysis of the dynamics of
gender relations and demographic trends in Kenya. It aims to provide a
contribution to an issue at the heart of Kenya's development concerns
and policy. Although the Kenya Government has stressed the
relationship between status of women and fertility behaviour as an
important area of research, a review of existing literature reveals gaps
in investigating cultural and institutional determinants of fertility. This
thesis addresses this imbalance. It also explores the intersection
between gender ideologies and representations and demographic
trends, an area that has remained relatively unexplored.
The analysis ranges from the macro level of the politics of international
aid to the micro level of decision making in the household. Firstly, in
addressing the power relations between the Third World and the First,
the thesis questions why the West sees 'over-population' as the
problem in Africa. It considers the wider implications of the fertility
control measures being implemented in the country for women's health
and empowerment, and their applicability at this time when the AIDS
pandemic has struck the population.
Secondly, this thesis argues that one must transcend the analysis of
gender in terms of the modernisation paradigm which has informed
most population research, and emphasises the significance of focusing
on gender ideologies and cultural representations and gender relations
at the interpersonal level in specific social contexts. The argument is
pursued through 'flflo in-depth examination of gender relations and
fertility among the Igembe.of. Eastern Province of Kenya. | en |
