Men, Women, and Abortion in Central Kenya: A Study of Lay Narratives

Abstract

This article examines lay narratives about abortion among adult men and women in Nyeri district, central Kenya. The women studied do not champion or defend abortion and they do not necessarily condemn it. To them, abortion shields not merely against the shame of mistimed or socially unviable entry into recognized motherhood but more importantly against the negative socioeconomic consequences of mistimed or unnecessary childbearing and inconvenient entry into motherhood. The men, on the other hand, were generally condemnatory toward abortion, viewing it as women's strategy for concealing their deviation from culturally acceptable gender and motherhood standards. Induced abortion will persist in Kenya not primarily because it protects against the shame associated with mistimed childbearing and entry into motherhood, but largely because women associate mistimed childbearing and inconvenient entry into motherhood with poverty and loss of marital viability. Kenyan women seeking abortion may also continue to rely on poor quality abortion services because qualified providers who clandestinely perform abortion charge prohibitively.

Key Words:

• abortion
• central Kenya
• gender
• men
• pregnancy
• women

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the Consortium for Research on Unsafe Abortion in Africa and Ipas for funding their time to write up this article. Data collection was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chimaraoke O. Izugbara

CHIMARAOKE O. IZUGBARA holds a PhD in social anthropology and has teaching and research interests in gender, sexuality, and health. He is currently a research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a lecturer-at-large at the University of Uyo, Nigeria.

Kennedy J. Otsola

KENNEDY J. OTSOLA holds an MA in religious studies and is APHRC's Community Relations Officer. His research interests are religion, culture, and health.

Alex Chika Ezeh

ALEX CHIKA EZEH holds a PhD in demography and directs APHRC. Dr. Ezeh is also an honorary professor at the School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.