In Kenya, young women like Faith grapple with the societal pressures to maintain a pleasant demeanor in professional settings, countering an environment that often perceives assertiveness as difficulty. Research highlights that women endure systemic barriers that hinder their representation in senior leadership roles, shedding light on the pervasive issue of ‘likeability labor’ that complicates their workplace experience.
Navigating Unspoken Pressures: The Struggles of Kenyan Women in Professional Spaces
Navigating Unspoken Pressures: The Struggles of Kenyan Women in Professional Spaces
A deep dive into the enforced expectations of likeability faced by women in Kenya's workplace and the implications for their career advancement.
In a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 24-year-old Faith found herself suppressing disagreement for fear of being labeled difficult, highlighting a pervasive issue among women in the workplace. Known by a pseudonym to protect her identity, Faith had been eagerly participating until a senior colleague misrepresented her stance, prompting an uncomfortable moment that made her feel pressure to conform to societal expectations of being agreeable.
Having just graduated, she was one of the first women in her family to attend university and was motivated to excel in her professional life. However, the fear of appearing difficult made her question how she could rise through the ranks. Faith’s experience resonates with findings from a McKinsey report, which identified "the broken rung" phenomenon, underscoring a significant drop in the number of women advancing from entry-level jobs to senior roles in Kenya, Nigeria, and India.
In entry-level positions, women in Kenya constitute half of the workforce in industries like healthcare and finance, but this representation diminishes to 26% at senior leadership levels. Faith chose silence over conflict in the meeting, a decision driven by an ingrained expectation to be "likeable," a term recently examined by sociologist Amy Kean. Her study on "likeability labor" revealed that 56% of women feel pressured to be agreeable in the workplace, far surpassing the 36% of men who experience the same.
Women often modify their language to soften their assertiveness, employing phrases like "Does that make sense?" or "Sorry, just quickly..." in an effort to evade perceptions of aggressiveness. Kean emphasized that the issue transcends mere popularity; it relates to women’s safety, validation, and acknowledgment in professional environments.
These alarming trends are further corroborated by a study from US-based recruitment firm Textio, revealing women face a higher rate of being labeled "unlikeable" in performance reviews, a critique that only 16% of men encounter. Sociologist Dr. Gladys Nyachieo highlights that these pressures are rooted in cultural expectations of women as caregivers, which extends into the workplace where they often take on additional responsibilities without compensation.
Dr. Nyachieo mentors young women entering the job market, stressing the importance of self-advocacy: "If you act pleasantly all the time, you will go nowhere. You have to negotiate for yourself." Through her guidance, Faith has begun to learn the importance of standing her ground, realizing that constant attempts to please others could hinder her professional growth.
With the help of mentors, young women like Faith are slowly beginning to confront the pressures of likeability labor, hoping to reshape their experiences and advocate for themselves in their professional lives.
