title: Making non-discrimination and equal opportunity a reality in Kenya's health provider education system: results of a gender analysis.
abstract: IntraHealth International's USAID-funded Capacity Kenya project conducted a performance needs assessment of the Kenya health provider education system in 2010. Various stakeholders shared their understandings of the role played by gender and identified opportunities to improve gender equality in health provider education. Findings suggest that occupational segregation, sexual harassment and discrimination based on pregnancy and family responsibilities present problems, especially for female students and faculty. To grow and sustain its workforce over the long term, Kenyan human resource leaders and managers must act to eliminate gender-based obstacles by implementing existing non-discrimination and equal opportunity policies and laws to increase the entry, retention and productivity of students and faculty. Families and communities must support girls' schooling and defer early marriage. All this will result in a fuller pool of students, faculty and matriculated health workers and, ultimately, a more robust health workforce to meet Kenya's health challenges.
authors.affiliation: IntraHealth International, Inc., Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA. cnewman@intrahealth.org
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Anastasiah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kimeu
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shamblin
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Penders
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: McQuide
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bwonya
mesh_terms: D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000379:methods*; D057766:Policy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011287:Prejudice; D012737:Sex Factors; D017406:Sexual Harassment