Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow

What I did not enjoy at the university was the discrimination I and my fellow female colleagues faced. Bearing in mind
my first encounter with the professor of zoology in early 1996, it became important to ensure that the female members of staff were accepted as equal members of the university‟s academic staff and received the same benefits as their male colleagues. Before Vertistine Mbaya and I arrived, there had never been an African woman among the academic members of staff in the faculty of veterinary sciences at the University of Nairobi, and the members of women on the academic members of staff of any faculty at the university was at that time tiny. Vertistine, an African American who had come in Kenya in the early 1960‟s and was married to a Kenyan, Simon Mbaya, taught in department of Biochemistry and was qualified to get all the benefits due to academic members of the staff. So was I.( A woman married TO another member of academic staff complicated the issuance of benefits such as housing , health insurance, and a pension because it would mean duplicating benefits. Neither of our husbands, however, enjoyed the status). I met professor Mbaya , or Vert, as she is known to her friends, in the second-floor corridor outside our offices at the Chiromo campus. Only three offices separated us we hit it off immediately. She has been a wonderful and trusted friend ever since.
Vert and I waged this fight for equality together. Many of the benefits given to male professional staff at the university were legacies of the colonial era, when young male teachers from Britain were encouraged to work in Kenya and other colonies and were provided with incentives in addition to their salaries. These included housing, free tuition for their children‟s education, and paid holiday time. When Kenya became independent, we took over most these systems completely intact. The University also had a number of incentives that, taken together, amounted to a large increase of one‟s salary. However, the University‟s full benefits accrued only to men. At that time, only single women or widows on that professional staff could receive university housing. Married women were expected to be housed by their husbands and it was argued that they therefore did not “need “ a housing allowance or insurance coverage or a pension. I argued with the University that this was completely unacceptable and the terms of service must be equal. Professional women, I said, could not be discriminated against just because during the colonial times no women professionals came to work in the colonies. This seemed a completely reasonable proposition. It never occurred to me that Vert and I would have to fight this battle. That I or other women should be paid less than our male colleagues of equal standing was very irritating to us. Because of that type of discrimination, junior male staff took home more than we did, despite our senior academic positions.
(Adapted from: Wangari Maathai, 2006:UNBOWED, pg. 114-115)

QUESTIONS

1. According to the passage, what two things did the author not enjoy at the University? (2 marks)

2. Briefly explain the situation at the University of Nairobi before the arrival of the author. (2 marks)

3. According to the passage, what are some of the benefits accrued to male professionals at the University? (3 marks)

4. Based on the passage, explain the relationship between the colonial and post-colonial gender relations in work places.
(2 marks)

5. Make notes on various forms of gender discrimination addressed by the author in the passage. (5 marks)

6. In what ways does the University's policy disadvantages married women? (2 marks)

7. Supply the appropriate question tag for the sentence below?

It never occurred to me that Vert and I would have to fight this battle

Answers

1. i) Female members of staff were not accepted as equal members of the university's academic staff.

ii) They did not receive equal benefits as their male colleagues

2. i) There had never been an African woman among the academic members of stuff in faculty of veterinary sciences at the
UON.

ii) The number of women on the academic staff and any faculty at the university was at that time tiny.

3. i) Incentives in addition to their salaries such as

a) Housing

b) Free tuition for their children's education

c) Paid holiday time

4. In both colonial and post-colonial times, there were incentives provided to male professionals only in addition to their
salaries. These incentives were not given to women.

5. Female members of staff were not accepted equal members of the university's academic staff. They did not receive the same benefits as there male colleagues.

Before the author and Verstistine arrived at the university, there had never been an African woman among the academic members of staff in the faculty of veterinary sciences.
The number of women on the academic staff of the faculty at the university was very tiny.
Married women were expected to be housed by their husbands and it was argued that they did not 'need a housing allowance, insurance coverage or pension.

6. They were not given all the benefits that accrued only to men, single women or widows. These benefits included: housing, health insurance and pensions. This is because it would mean duplicating benefits since their husbands had been given these benefits already.

7. did it?

NB-The tag must start with a small letter

8. a) began/ started off.

b) Only men received the university's full benefits/ applied only to men
c) Of the same level

marto answered the question on April 5, 2019 at 07:37

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