Kenyan woman cherishes the good life but is afraid of death, poverty, illness

Consumer Insight research Manager Ruth Ruigu releases a report that reveals the trends among modern Kenyan women at Gracia Garden hotel on April 30, 2015. JEFF ANGOTE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Of the married women, 29 per cent said they valued a successful marriage and raising their children well. On the other hand, single women (27 per cent) said they valued higher education, while another 20 per cent said they valued owning a car.
• HIV was rated second among the things women fear most (43 per cent) followed by poverty (35 per cent) and life threatening illnesses (30 per cent). Women from Nairobi fear poverty and life-threatening illnesses more than their counterparts in other towns.
• “A majority of women surveyed said they earned a personal income,” the study says.
• The various themes of the study were generated from interviews with experts and focus group discussions. The findings were later tested through a quantitative study via face-to-face interviews with 1,304 women in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri.

By CAROLINE WAFULA
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Money and marital bliss rank highest on the list of what the modern Kenyan woman desires, according to a new study by Consumer Insight.

The study, which set out to understand women’s lifestyles, values and aspirations, shows that the modern Kenyan woman’s ideal life is one in which she has a good job, a good house, a good education and a compatible partner.

Asked what they considered the most important thing, 27 per cent of the respondents said “a comfortable life”, followed by 13 per cent who ranked “world at peace” as the most important.

Accomplishment, health, career and happiness followed in that order at 9,8,7 and 6 per cent. Four per cent said living an exciting life was most important while an equal number said family was the most important.

On their dreams and aspirations, 41 per cent of married women and 33 per cent of single women said they wanted to own a house. However, having a job was a major aspiration for single women (48 per cent) compared to their married counterparts (22 per cent). Owning their own business was a big dream for 25 per cent of both the married and single women.

Of the married women, 29 per cent said they valued a successful marriage and raising their children well. On the other hand, single women (27 per cent) said they valued higher education, while another 20 per cent said they valued owning a car.

Interestingly, modern Kenyan women fear death and poverty more than life threatening diseases, violence, rape, joblessness, divorce, losing children and childlessness. According to the survey, HIV/Aids is no longer considered a deadly disease, especially among Nairobi women.

The researchers attributed this finding to reduced stigma in the capital and the knowledge that one can still live long with HIV if they take good care of themselves.

Of the 1,304 women interviewed, 51 per cent said they feared death the most. The fear of death was higher in other towns (58 per cent) but lower among women in Nairobi (42 per cent).

HIV

HIV was rated second among the things women fear most (43 per cent) followed by poverty (35 per cent) and life threatening illnesses (30 per cent). Women from Nairobi fear poverty and life-threatening illnesses more than their counterparts in other towns.

The research manager for the survey, Ms Ruth Ruigu, said it was the country’s most comprehensive study on women to date, covering all aspects of women’s lives, including finances, media use, shopping behaviour and lifestyle choices.

The study, conducted with the help of gender experts, including Dr Besi Muhonja, an associate professor in women’s and gender studies at James Madison University in the US, was aimed at helping organisations and the society in general to reach a better understanding of the Kenyan woman. It also measured their loyalty to various consumer brands, from mobile phones to household goods.

For instance, it found that while 54 per cent of women desired to own a Samsung smart phone, only 24 per cent actually had one and while 37 per cent owned a Nokia, another 32 per cent wanted one. Only one per cent owned an iPhone although 19 per cent said they would love to have one.

The various themes of the study were generated from interviews with experts and focus group discussions. The findings were later tested through a quantitative study via face-to-face interviews with 1,304 women in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri.

On lifestyle, the study found that a church wedding was a dream for many, with 72 per cent saying they wanted to walk down the aisle. However, only a small fraction ever live that dream, with a majority ending up in come-we-stay arrangements and customary marriages. A pragmatic few — about 10 per cent of women surveyed — desired a civil wedding, and exactly the same number got one.

Interestingly, about 20 per cent of the respondents said it would be ‘OK’ for a woman to propose marriage to a man, an attitude considered to be more cosmopolitan.

And although a majority of women dreamed of wedded bliss, the study found that one in three married women (33 per cent) actually do not live with their husbands.

The study also found that the modern Kenyan woman is guilty of impulse shopping, particularly for clothes, shoes and bags. Most of impulse buyers do so to indulge themselves. More than 60 per cent confessed to buying clothes at least once a month, with eight per cent saying they buy clothes at least every week. A large number of them — more than three quarters — shop in second-hand markets.

EARNED PERSONAL INCOME

On hair care, braids and weaves were most popular, with a majority preferring to braid their hair. More than 60 per cent of hair-care expenditure is spent on artificial hair. Despite this, close to 90 per cent of the respondents said that beauty comes from the inside and is grounded in values and self-belief, not outward displays. 

“A majority of women surveyed said they earned a personal income,” the study says.

For married women, business and employment are vital sources of income.

The study also showed that older women, above 30 and mostly married, were higher users of TV and radio, while their younger counterparts preferred the Internet. 

Remarkably, far fewer young women use email, suggesting that social media like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and others, may be the future of online communication and entertainment.

Young and older Kenyan women share a belief that life is moving too fast. They want to slow down.

“For them, home is a retreat and refuge from the busy world. A place they can go to slow down; whether it means watching ‘series’ DVDs all day or simply sleeping, all weekend,” the study reports.

Nairobi women also yearn for aspects of traditional life — respect for elders, togetherness, children playing together in the neighbourhood, close-knit extended families, preserving virginity until marriage, older people telling stories, children being disciplined by the whole community, among others.