Gender and Climate Change: An Analysis of the Climate Change Policy of Kenya
Author
Jensen, Sarah Gyrithholm
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Pages
55
Abstract
Klimaændringer i Kenya rammer befolkningsgrupper forskelligt, og kvinder samt andre marginaliserede grupper udsættes for øgede risici på grund af sociale, økonomiske og politiske uligheder. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan køn repræsenteres og problematiseres i Kenyas klimaforandringslov (2016), og hvilke konsekvenser denne rammesætning har for klimastyring og modstandsdygtighed. Med Carol Bacchis “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?”-tilgang gennemfører studiet en kvalitativ dokumentanalyse af loven med udgangspunkt i Feministisk Politisk Økologi og Intersektionalitet. Analysen afdækker antagelser, tavsheder og magtrelationer bag kønsrelaterede bestemmelser og vurderer, om de adresserer strukturelle barrierer for kvinders deltagelse. Resultaterne viser, at loven anerkender kønslig lighed og fremmer kønsresponsive beslutninger, men i høj grad fastholder traditionelle kønsroller ved primært at fremstille kvinder som sårbare grupper, der skal beskyttes. Loven integrerer ikke tilstrækkeligt intersektionelle faktorer som klasse, etnicitet og jordejerskab, og de kønssensitive tiltag mangler klare håndhævelsesmekanismer, hvilket skaber usikkerhed om implementeringen. Specialet konkluderer, at styrket kønsresponsiv klimahandling i Kenya forudsætter, at man bevæger sig ud over mainstreaming mod en intersektionel, deltagende tilgang, der giver kvinder og andre marginaliserede grupper reel indflydelse på politik og beslutninger.
Climate change in Kenya affects people unequally, with women and other marginalized groups facing heightened risks due to social, economic, and political inequalities. This thesis examines how gender is represented and problematized in Kenya’s Climate Change Act (2016) and what this framing means for climate governance and resilience. Using Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” approach, the study conducts a qualitative document analysis of the Act through the lenses of Feminist Political Ecology and Intersectionality. It explores the assumptions, silences, and power dynamics that underpin gender-related provisions and assesses whether they address structural barriers to women’s participation. The analysis finds that while the Act recognizes gender equity and mandates gender-responsive decision-making, it largely reinforces traditional gender roles by portraying women primarily as vulnerable groups requiring protection. The Act does not sufficiently integrate intersectional factors such as class, ethnicity, and land ownership, and its gender-sensitive measures lack clear enforcement mechanisms, creating uncertainty about implementation. The thesis argues that achieving gender-responsive climate action in Kenya requires moving beyond gender mainstreaming toward an intersectional, participatory approach that enables women and other marginalized groups to actively shape policy and decision-making.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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