Role of Gender Mainstreaming in Promoting Equity in Early Childhood Education among Learners in Bungoma County

Gender mainstreaming has been central to the development agenda for advancing gender equality globally for nearly three decades. Publications on gender mainstreaming have increased, primarily from authors with European and USA academic affiliations and funding. Gender disparities in Early Childhood Education in Bungoma County are deeply rooted in socio-economic and cultural factors, hindering equitable education for all children. Despite efforts to promote gender equity, challenges such as traditional norms, resource constraints, and inconsistent policy implementation persisted. This study explored the role of gender mainstreaming in promoting equity in Early Childhood Education in Bungoma County through four objectives: assessing gender mainstreaming levels in ECE policies and practices, examining its effect on learners’ participation and performance, identifying implementation challenges, and proposing enhancement strategies. The study was guided by Social Cognitive Theory emphasizing learning through observation and modeling, and Ecological Systems Theory examining interactions between individuals and environmental systems. A descriptive survey design with mixed-methods approach targeted 300 respondents (90 ECDE teachers, 200 learners, 10 community leaders) from Bungoma South Sub-county, achieving 79.67% response rate. Data collection used structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and interviews, with quantitative data analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and qualitative data analyzed thematically. Key findings revealed that while 76.15% of teachers believed equal access existed, barriers persisted including distance to school (21.92%), parental attitudes (20.55%), financial constraints (17.81%), and cultural beliefs (16.44%), with 75.31% confirming economic challenges disproportionately affected girls. Regarding participation, 38.49% of learners reported boys and girls only “sometimes” received equal opportunities, 32.64% noted boys answered more questions, and 34.73% observed non-inclusive teacher language. Major challenges included teacher-related issues (16.9% rarely encouraged mixed-gender work), peer influences (20.5% gender-based selections), cultural expectations (22.9% of girls prioritized home duties), and unequal material access (24.1% lacked fair sharing). The study concluded that while gender equality awareness was improving, significant gaps remained in translating policy into practice due to persistent socio-cultural and economic barriers. Seven key recommendations emerged: training teachers in gender-responsive practices, reviewing learning materials for balanced representation, institutionalizing equitable classroom practices, building more rural ECE centers, introducing free ECE programs, engaging communities to challenge gender biases, and conducting regular policy compliance audits.