In a corporate landscape where likeability becomes a barrier, Kenyan women like Faith confront daily pressures to conform and be agreeable rather than forthright. Despite rising to positions once unattainable for women, they often feel compelled to smile and support unfeasible suggestions, sacrificing their professional voices for acceptance.
The Weight of Likeability: Kenyan Women Face Challenges in the Workplace
The Weight of Likeability: Kenyan Women Face Challenges in the Workplace
Young women in Kenya navigate the pressures of being agreeable in male-dominated environments, risking their professional progression and authenticity.
In a recent meeting in Nairobi, 24-year-old Faith, an inspiring figure among her peers, found herself wrestling with the unspoken expectation to smile and agree with her superiors. Concerned about being labeled difficult or moody in her workplace, she hesitated to voice her disagreement when a senior colleague misrepresented her support for an impractical suggestion.
With her identity protected for privacy, Faith's experience underscores issues highlighted in the "Women in the Workplace 2025" report, which reveals significant obstacles women encounter in climbing the corporate ladder, specifically in developing economies like Kenya, Nigeria, and India. As McKinsey's findings illustrate, while women occupy 50% of entry-level positions, they dwindle to just 26% in senior roles in Kenya.
Preferences for "likeability" in work environments are so prevalent they have given rise to the term “likeability labour,” coined by sociologist Amy Kean. This concept describes the relentless overthinking and self-editing women feel compelled to undertake to maintain a positive reception. Kean's UK study indicates that 56% of women compared to only 36% of men feel pressured to be liked in their workplaces, and the balance of emotional and social labour appears unequally allocated.
From minimising their language to softening their assertiveness, many women engage in self-editing tactics to evade being perceived as abrasive, a phenomenon worsened by socio-economic backgrounds. An additional layer of challenge exists with the cultural concept of "office mathe" in Kenya, which describes a woman who takes on extra duties supporting others yet remains unrewarded for her service.
Dr. Gladys Nyachieo emphasizes the need for systemic change, including flexible working policies and mentorship programs. Through her guidance, Faith learns that pursuing authenticity is vital, encouraging her to assert herself without solely conforming to the desirability of being agreeable.
As Faith continues to navigate the complexities of workplace dynamics, she reflects on how she is gradually overcoming the ingrained pressure to be consistently pleasant, aspiring for success while remaining true to herself.
