POLICY BRIEF > The Journey of Shona in Kenya / October 2024 more women out of the workforce, increasing the rate of women out of the labor force from 25 percent in 2019 to 36 percent in 2024. This is consistent with global trends, where women have faced more severe disruptions in employment due to caregiving responsibilities and other socio-economic factors. Figure 4: Labor force participation by gender as a percentage of working age population across 2019 and 2024 Source: 2019 Shona socioeconomic survey[8] and the authors’ calculation of 2024 survey data. Household income Income from business is the primary source of livelihood for the Shona community, followed by wages and other minor sources. 73 percent of household income in the Shona community comes from business activities like carpentry, weaving baskets and hawking on the streets, indicating a strong reliance on entrepreneurship and selfemployment. Wages from employment and daily labor activities constitute 25 percent of the income, while other sources like asset earnings or assistance contribute a mere total of 2 percent, showing limited diversification in income streams. This heavy dependence on business shows that the Shona community still relies on their traditional income sources and suggests that the community might face heightened vulnerability to market fluctuations and economic shocks affecting their businesses. A majority of households report that their income has remained stable since gaining citizenship, but a notable proportion has experienced an increase. Half of the households indicated their income stayed the same, while 38 percent reported an increase, and 12 percent experienced a decrease since December 2020. This distribution suggests that while citizenship has had a stabilizing effect for many households, it has not yet resulted in broadbased economic gains. However, the increase in income for nearly 4 out of every 10 households is a positive sign of economic progress and potential for further growth as the community continues to integrate more fully into the Kenyan economy. www.unhcr.org 7