Rethinking Women Heroines in Kenya's Political Leadership: A Case of Philomena Chelagat Mutai among the Nandi

Project Report from the year 2023 in the subject History - Africa, , course: Biographical Studies, language: English, abstract: Globally, in every known society women rights have been violated. However, because of advancement in knowledge and advocacy for the girl child education and gender sensitivity, many women have come out boldly in the fight for their rights and defense of their positions as women and makers of history in a patriarchal society, where male have the lion's share in all sheres of life. International community has been clamoring for women's political empowerment. Despite this clamor, research consistently shows that in many parts of the world women still linger on the fringes of political realm and their participation in government structures and the democratic processs remains low. The theory of liberal-feminism by Charles Fourier (1837), argue that society holds false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men; thus it tends to discriminate against women in all aspects of social, economic and political spheres. The proponents of this theory believe that female subordination is rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women's entrance to and success in the so-called public world, and they work hard to emphasize the equality of men and women through political and legal reforms. These theorists advocate for the promotion of equal opportunities for both men and women in the political, economic and social spheres. Feminists believe that women are oppressed due to their sex based on the dominant ideology of patriarchy. Ridding society of patriarchy will result in liberation for women. Patriarchy is the system which oppresses women through its social, economic and political institutions.