Nairobi city county women’s attitudes towards the representation of their interests by women members of parliament

Abstract

This study set out to explore women’s attitudes towards the representation of their interests by women Members of Parliament (MPs) in Nairobi City County. The basic question that the study sought an answer to was, “To what extent are women MPs better at representing women’s interests than men MPs”? The main objective of the study was, therefore, to explore Nairobi women’s attitudes towards women MPs representation of their interests. The study was done in Nairobi’s Central Business District and targeted women who were registered voters. It was cross-sectional and descriptive in design. Data were collected using structured and key informant interviews. The study makes the general conclusion that within the country, the presence of women descriptively and substantively is influenced by the attitudes of women towards the past and current representation of their interests by women in Parliament. The study reveals that women understand and prioritize interests that directly impact their lives and expect and trust them to be represented primarily by women members of parliament. Thus, the degree to which this occurs influences the number of women elected to parliament. However, this is also influenced by the entrenched socio-cultural traditions and practices that have historically favoured men’s interests vis-a-vis women’s interests.