Kenya’s Muslim women participation in diplomatic service: a case study of ministry of foreign affairs

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to examine Kenya’s Muslim Women Participation in Diplomatic Service: A Case Study of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was backed by specific study objectives which sought; to assess how to encourage Kenyan Muslim women participation in diplomacy, to analyze the influence of Kenyan Muslim women participation in diplomacy, and finding out the factors hindering participation of Kenyan Muslim women participation in diplomacy. The theoretical leaning by the study was dualistic in nature. It was underpinned by the following two theories; Gender equality theory and dialogic feminist theory. The former is a theory with composite effects in nature, one being gender role and others being; socioeconomic development, genderegalitarian attitudes, cultural and political traditions, and institutional design factors. The second, dialogic feminist theory anchors itself on the fact that women issues must be subjected to society processes of participation. Professor Walter W. Foskett propones the second theory, whereas the proponents of gender equality theory include; Inglehart, Norris, and Welzel. The proponents of gender equality theory argue that the comparison of factors across different stages of gender equality will enrich understanding of the roles of economic development, cultural change, historical legacies and institutional designs in empowering women. The study used descriptive research design, while relying on simple random sampling technique in selecting the sample for this study. The target population comprised management staff employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs composed of the 210 as sample size. The researcher used questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. Thematic analysis was embraced data analysis. In addition, quantitative data collected was analyzed statistically by the help of the Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS version 22). The research project findings were discussed thematically in summary from whence the study recommends that the Muslims religious leaders need to review the Islamic teachings that deny women and girls and girls their rights in order to improve participation centripetally while at the same time the government should put up measures that will ensure generally women participate in publics service and specifically in diplomacy. With good policies and combined efforts/ strategies, the challenges that deter the level of participation of Muslim women in diplomacy will be finally dealt with.