For countless women, childbirth has become a major career obstacle, forcing many to pause or abandon work but digital platforms are now opening new opportunities to reclaim professional independence
Milliam Murigi @millymur1
Most people end their careers with a resignation letter. But that was not the case for Grace Wanjiru, hers ended with childbirth in 2022.
While she was away caring for her newborn, her teaching job at a private secondary school in Nakuru was gone.
“When I called to inform them that I was ready to return to work, they told me the position had already been filled,” she says. “It felt like all the years of hard work and dedication didn’t matter anymore.”
For Grace, motherhood did not just bring a child; it brought unemployment. With bills mounting and limited childcare options, she turned to the internet in search of alternatives. After taking online courses in writing and virtual assistance, she began offering freelance services to international clients.
Within months, she had built a steady income stream from home, drafting newsletters, editing content and managing administrative tasks for businesses abroad. Today, Grace earns a decent income, works with less pressure and can care for her children.
“I used to earn Sh30,000 per month from my teaching job, but now I make more than that. Even on a slow month, I earn at least Sh50,000, and when work is plenty, that amount doubles,” she says.
According to her, though the money is good, the transition required discipline and adjustment, especially because most of her assignments come from clients in different time zones. She now works late nights and early mornings, carefully managing deadlines alongside the responsibilities of motherhood.
Once her two boys leave for school, she uses the quiet daytime hours to rest, plan or tackle tasks at her own pace. It’s a demanding routine, she admits, but one that allows her to balance work and family in a way she finds far more rewarding than she ever imagined.
“I now have the flexibility and enough time to rest while still earning. Unlike before, when I was teaching, my days were rigid and exhausting, leaving little space for myself or my boys. Online work has completely changed my routine, allowing me to balance my career and family in a way I never thought is possible.”
Grace is not alone when it comes to online working. In Kenya alone, about 1.2 million people roughly five per cent of the adult population already earn income online, a figure that has grown rapidly in recent years according to Ajira Digital 2021 National Study on Digital and Digitally Enabled Work in Kenya. Young people dominate the sector, with about 83 per cent aged 18–35, while women make up roughly 33 per cent of the country’s digital workforce.
According to the study, many are using online tools and remote opportunities to re-enter the workforce on their own terms gaining flexibility, autonomy and greater control over how they balance earning a living with raising their families. Roles such as digital marketers, article writers, transcribers, virtual assistants and data scientists are among the online jobs experiencing the highest uptake.
Joyce Kemunto from Mombasa, is another beneficiary of online work. She previously worked in the hospitality industry. When she gave birth to twins, the sector’s long hours and unpredictable schedules became incompatible with caregiving.
Unable to return to full-time employment and lacking capital to start a traditional business, she researched low-cost online ventures. She eventually settled on dropshipping — a model in which a seller markets products online while suppliers handle storage and delivery.
Using only her smartphone and social media platforms, Joyce launched an online shop. Today, she runs it full time, managing marketing, customer service, and product sourcing from home.
“Remote jobs and digital platforms are empowering Kenyan women to craft careers around caregiving demands. Flexibility not just income is a vital part of what makes online work transformative for mothers,” says Pauline Busisa, Head of Qhala Trust’s Future of Work Lab.
According to Busisa, this flexibility is transforming how women approach work in Kenya. Rather than choosing between a career and caregiving, mothers can now integrate both, building professional skills while staying present for their families.
Digital platforms according to her allow them to take on freelance projects, manage online businesses or provide virtual services all from home and on schedules that suit their lives. For many, this represents not just financial relief, but a chance to reclaim a sense of purpose and agency that traditional employment often denied them.
Beyond supporting work-life balance, the International Labour Organization (ILO) says online employment is also reshaping traditional migration patterns. Instead of relocating to major cities or seeking jobs abroad, many Kenyans are increasingly accessing global labour markets from their own communities.
“Remote work enables skilled workers to earn income from international clients without leaving their families, reducing the economic pressures that often drive labour migration while allowing talent to remain and contribute to local communities,” reads part of the ILO Digital labour platforms in Kenya report.
However, despite these opportunities, access to online work remains uneven. Many women still face barriers that prevent them from benefiting fully from online opportunities. Limited access to reliable internet, expensive data, shared devices, and a lack of digital skills keep some women on the margins. Thus making women remain underrepresented in digital spaces and tech careers.
“Digital literacy will unlock economic agency for women. By equipping women with tech and online business skills, they can access work that fits their lives rather than forcing life to fit work,” says Judith Adem Owigar, co-founder of AkiraChix.
This is why women such as Valarie Waswa, have stepped forward to help bridge the gap. She co-founded She Goes Digital, a social enterprise that connects women to opportunities in the digital economy through practical training, mentorship, advocacy and access to essential resources.
According to her, the initiative was born out of a simple conviction: every woman deserves the chance to participate in and benefit from the digital age.
“We envision a world where every woman, regardless of her background or location, can confidently harness technology to create opportunities, achieve financial independence and drive community transformation,” she says.
A core part of their work is upskilling, reskilling and skilling young women and girls so they can earn meaningful incomes online. The organisation prioritises preparing participants for remote jobs which she describes as the future of work as well as freelance and self-employment opportunities that give women more flexibility and stronger negotiating power. Beyond training, they also link graduates to verified platforms and opportunities where they can secure online gigs.
She reveals that the programmes begin with foundational digital literacy, since basic computer knowledge is essential before advancing to specialised skills. Trainees can then move on to courses in virtual assistance, social media management, graphic design, and video editing. The organisation also runs a programme tailored for women entrepreneurs who want to digitise or scale their businesses.
“We also have local hubs to reach those most excluded, especially in rural communities where the digital divide is often widest. Our first hub is in Kakamega, providing a safe, well-equipped workspace for women who lack reliable internet, electricity or personal devices at home. It gives them a place to learn, work and apply their skills for free in a supportive environment turning digital access from a distant idea into a practical reality.”
Despite these efforts, Waswa says that adoption of online work remains low because, unlike traditional jobs, gig roles often lack legal protections. Most digital workers are classified as independent contractors rather than employees, which means they frequently go without formal contracts, guaranteed wages, social protections, or benefits such as maternity leave and health insurance.
In Kenya, for example, classification determines access to protections like minimum wage or social security. Because platforms label workers as independent contractors, many protections do not automatically apply. The good thing is the law is slowly catching up.
“If countries wantto ensure that people working online have fair pay, social protection and labor rights there are three things that they need to do. First, clearer worker classification standards that prevent misclassification because if someone is not legally recognized as an employee, many protections disappear,” says Waswa.
Second, portable social protection schemes that allow gig workers to contribute flexibly to health insurance and pensions. Third, investment in digital skills and affordable internet access, especially for rural women. Since training without structural protection only goes so far. Skills must be matched with rights.
Waswa concludes by saying that “Online work is not a temporary trend. It is here to stay. But it is not a complete solution on its own. It will remain a permanent feature of women’s economic participation, especially because it lowers entry barriers and increases flexibility. The real question is whether it will be decent and secure work. If we invest in regulation, social protection, and digital inclusion, it can be transformative. If we do not, it risks becoming a permanent form of precarity.”
This story was produced with support from Africa No Filter (ANF)
