Updating Gender Dynamics in Digital Spaces in Kenya

Dramatic shifts in the world of work through the digital
economy bring a promise of creating more opportunities and better working
conditions. However, social inequalities are often baked into these
technologies. In countries such as Kenya, where the informal economy is the
dominant source of income, especially for women, digital platforms can be both:
a powerful driver of empowerment, and a source of new risks and exclusion.

UPDATE examines the reality of digitally facilitated work in Kenya through
a feminist lens. What motivates diverse workers to use and
mobilize through digital platforms? How does working through platforms
influence women’s care work commitments?

This research aims to better understand how diverse women, men
and gender non-conforming persons use technologies to access employment,
organize to defend their rights, and influence policies, practices and
innovations around work.

Generated through a transdisciplinary framework, this type of knowledge
will help strengthen the digital resilience of communities and employees
in Kenya, maximizing digital platforms’ potential to promote women’s
empowerment, workers’ rights, social protection, and political engagement.

The research contributes to debates about gendered aspects of
technology, and the way in which the digital revolution shapes working
relations, thereby perpetuating or transforming gender norms.

UPDATE is rooted in collaboration between Swiss and Kenyan research
institutions, and Kenyan feminist tech-activists. Based on these partnerships,
it will inform policies to make digital employment more equitable and conducive
to gender transformative norms in the world of work.