Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-muhonors12720474772021-08-03T05:42:16Z Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya Muruthi, James Ruoro Cultural Anthropology Gerontology Womens Studies older women Kenya resilience ageing Kenya traditions and customs The purpose of this project is to explore older Kenyan women's resilience and adaptive strategies as a function of rapid socioeconomic, urbanization, modernization and cultural changes that are happening in their country. Socio-cultural and public policies have evolved greatly throughout the last decade in Kenya and this has produced lifestyle shifts. Most significant for this project is the change in status for older African women in relation to other individuals in the rural communities in which most of them dwell. This project focuses on Kenya's older women living in the rural areas and draws heavily on the life styles of Kikuyu ethnic group for some specific examples of how public policies affect individuals in these rural settings. The general premise is that older women lose their status as societies become more industrialized. At the same time, demographic changes and medical advancements have seen women living longer and healthier than in any previous times in history. Because of this kind of longevity and changing family structures, both the older women and the society need to make some readjustments to accommodate these changes. To facilitate those readjustments, it is important to recognize the conflicting and often ageist ideas in Kenyan society about old age, and the self-concepts of older women, which tends to be more positive than the society's view of them. Therefore, it is in order that older women's voices should be featured in the debate about socio-cultural changes affecting their quality of life. Major theories of aging and feminism operate at both micro and macro-levels of the society. What they overlook is how older individuals, especially women, remain active and involved. Both sociologist and economists have established that women in the developing world are relegated to lower economic and social status. I suggest that in order overcome that lower status; Kenyan traditional customs and official policies need to change so that older women are permitted control of land and other productive resources. 2010-04-24 English text Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272047477 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272047477 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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language |
English |
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topic |
Cultural Anthropology Gerontology Womens Studies older women Kenya resilience ageing Kenya traditions and customs |
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Cultural Anthropology Gerontology Womens Studies older women Kenya resilience ageing Kenya traditions and customs Muruthi, James Ruoro Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
author |
Muruthi, James Ruoro |
author_facet |
Muruthi, James Ruoro |
author_sort |
Muruthi, James Ruoro |
title |
Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
title_short |
Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
title_full |
Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
title_fullStr |
Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in Public and Cultural Policies and Older Women of Rural Kenya |
title_sort |
changes in public and cultural policies and older women of rural kenya |
publisher |
Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272047477 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT muruthijamesruoro changesinpublicandculturalpoliciesandolderwomenofruralkenya |
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