𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

BY EUGINE WABWILE, TMG JOURNALIST

𝗢𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆, 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗶, 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱-𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱.

On the 2025 International Women’s Day, a mother faced discrimination at a Women’s Conference she had been invited to simply because she brought her baby along. This incident has sparked a debate on inclusion versus exclusion in spaces meant to honor women on a day dedicated to celebrating their achievements and struggles.

Abigael Kanini, a woman in the fashion world, expressed her disappointment at the discrimination she faced at an event that was supposed to empower women. She questioned how women can break barriers when they are forced to choose between attending an event for themselves or taking care of their children.

This incident sheds light on the concept of the Motherhood Tax or Motherhood Penalty, which refers to the economic and professional disadvantages women face after having children. Career mothers often find themselves at a crossroads, having to sacrifice career advancement opportunities to prioritize childbearing and childrearing.

While maternity leave benefits are mandated by law, some organizations still fall short in providing adequate support for working mothers. The lack of flexible working hours and breastfeeding facilities poses challenges for women returning to work after maternity leave.

Speaking to Citizen Digital,Njeri Migwi, from Usikimye, emphasizes the importance of accommodating mothers and their children in all spaces meant for women. Inclusive workplaces and events that support mothers create a more equitable environment for all women, regardless of their parental status.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Robert Wanyonyi, the Group CEO of Tandao Media Group, advocates for women in leadership positions and believes that organizations need to build capacity to support mothers in all spaces. By creating child-friendly spaces and flexible working hours, employers can ensure that women do not have to choose between their careers and their children.

Catherine Ooko, a radio show host, exemplified the challenges working mothers face when she had to bring her toddler to work due to a lack of childcare support. Cooperation and inclusion are essential for women to continue holding positions of influence, irrespective of their motherhood status.

Society needs to challenge cultural biases that place childcare responsibilities solely on women, creating a burden for working mothers who are expected to excel both at work and at home. By creating supportive environments for mothers, we can empower women to break the glass ceilings in their professional spaces.

THE EDITOR’S PICK!

In conclusion, supporting mothers in the workplace and at events is not only beneficial for women but also positively impacts economic growth. Let’s strive for inclusivity and empowerment for all women and girls, ensuring that no woman has to choose between her career and her child. Rights, equality, and empowerment are essential for building a more inclusive and equitable society for everyone.