Gender Stereotypes and Cultural Legitimation in Bodaboda Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Informal Transport Talk in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine how sexist discourse constrains women’s participation in Kenya’s informal transport sector, specifically the bodaboda industry in Biashara Ward, Nakuru City. Everyday talk and interaction among riders frequently reinforce gender stereotypes and cultural norms that sideline female riders. A qualitative case study was chosen as the most suitable design because it enables in?depth exploration of discourse practices within a bounded social setting. Guided by Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis and Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity, the study employed semi?structured interviews, participant observation, and video recordings across nine bodaboda stages, involving 15 riders (12 men and 3 women). Interviews captured riders’ perspectives, observation documented communicative practices in context, and video recordings facilitated multimodal analysis of embodied discourse. The findings reveal recurring discursive patterns: domesticity scripts casting women as caregivers, stereotypes of physical inadequacy, moral policing discourses, occupational ownership positioning riding as “men’s work,” and cultural legitimation through appeals to tradition and religion. Counter?discourses from women and some men challenge these exclusions, though resistance remains fragile. This study is significant because it advances understanding of gendered discourse within Kenya’s informal transport sector, showing how everyday communicative practices regulate occupational identity and sustain exclusion. By foregrounding cultural legitimation as a discursive mechanism, it contributes to feminist transport scholarship and informs policy interventions such as gender?sensitive training, equitable access to credit, and awareness campaigns that challenge exclusionary discourse at its roots.