Gender, Poverty & Employment in Tanzania
Key points from recent analytical studies
Waheeda Shariff (Carpe Diem Ink)Technical Support from ILOInputs from the Gender Macro Policy Working Group
Data available to us…
Availability of data during the first phase of PRS implementation has increased substantially
A number of studies have been carried out in the last 3-4 years that have informed us on the gender situation
These include (but are not limited to): The HBS 2000/1, the ILFS 2000/1, the PHDR 2002 & 2003, and the FHH study
Labor Force Participation
Significant increase in male participation rates from 73% to 81%
Marginal increase in women in the workforce from 71% to 73%
Unemployment
During the 1990’s, unemployment has increased substantially, particularly in urban areas
Women form a much higher proportion of the unemployed
Unemployment is especially high amongst young people
PHDR 2002
1990/1 2000/1
Urban DSM
22% 26%
Urban other
6% 10%
Rural 2% 2%
Female Employment by Industry (SIDA and ILFS)
Industry 1993 2000/1
Mining 4% 47.3%
Electricity 19.9% 85%
Construction 5.4% 22%
Trade 41.7% 48.9%
Transport 8.7% 66%
Finance 25.7% 17%
Services 30% 46.7%
Female Economic Activity
HBS 2000/1
Urban 1990/1
Urban 2000/1
Rural 1990/1
Rural 2000/1
Agriculture 47% 28% 87% 74%
Other 2.4% 6% 0.5% 1%
Unpaid helper
5.5% 15.1% 6% 8.7%
SE with employees
12% 2.8% 1% 0.7%
Self employed
0.1% 13% 0.2% 2.2%
Earning Capacity
Women form 66% of unpaid family helpers
They are 2/3 of those engaged in household duties
They are less likely than men to be self-employees (with or without employees)
Women earn less than men in spite of similar education levels
Employment & Poverty
Households with formal sector incomes tend to be less poor
Households engaged in agriculture tend to be more poor (70% of HH heads are engaged in agriculture)
Households whose heads have some formal education tend to be less poor
Employment & Poverty (cnt)
Women engaged in agriculture in rural areas are amongst the poorest
There is a significant shift to self-employment and very small trading activities by women
Women are over-represented in low skill, low pay jobs, particularly in agriculture and elementary occupations
Women form ¾ of those too old to work and 2/3 of those too sick to work
Employment & Poverty (cnt)
Patterns of occupational distribution between genders is partly due to:
culturally determined sexual division of labor
Education levels & access Lack of opportunity for women Lack of representation in decision-
making bodies
Education
41% of rural women are illiterate, compared to 23.9% of rural men
The percentage of women with no education has declined marginally
Enrollment (for both men and women) in adult literacy classes has dropped significantly
Education (cnt)
Primary school enrollment for boys and girls has equalized, but
Girls performance rates are significantly lower than boys (21.4% for girls, 36.2% for boys)
Girls are less likely to remain in school after the age of 13
Girls have lower performance in science subjects and do not pursue careers in these fields
Education (cnt)
School environments support gender stereotypes in subject choices for girls
School facilities are lacking in terms of distance and facilities (particularly for girls)
At tertiary level, only 6% of students in technical/vocational training institutions are women
Women comprise lower enrollments at universities
Education (cnt)
At tertiary level, higher proportions of women receive training in humanities, arts and education
They also form a higher proportion of those who receive training but are unemployed
Low numbers of women receive training in finance, engineering, etc
Health
There is a significant decrease in numbers of births attended by trained professionals (8% decline)
Female HIV/AIDS incidence has risen from 5.9% to 13.3%
The greatest increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence is with young women
Health (cnt)
Children in rural areas are twice as likely to be stunted (a sign of chronic under-nutrition)
This is mainly sue to inappropriate feeding practices, low rates of breastfeeding and low frequency of breastfeeding
The gendered division of labor at household level and patriarchal allocation of household resources contribute to this
Health (cnt)
Teenage pregnancies increase from the age of 15
Girls enrollment at secondary level fall quickly in relation to child-bearing frequency
Only 19% of births to uneducated mothers are attended by trained professionals (compared to 80% for educated women)
Female Headed Households
The proportion of FHH has increased from 17.6% to 22.9%
FHH are common in urban areas FHH are no more poor than MHH, but
are more vulnerable to poverty They have less land, less formal
education, higher dependency ratios, less experience with credit, and rely on casual labor
Laws and legislation
Tanzania is a patriarchal society where men dominate in politics and the economy
Customary law still prevails, especially in rural areas
Women’s access to productive resources is limited
Laws & legislation (cnt)
Employment laws do not provide adequate safeguards for women employees
Some employment laws are not gender sensitive in language
There is no provision for women to be represented in decision-making bodies (e.g. education boards, labor tribunals, trade unions)
Politics and Access to Information
Women are underrepresented at all levels of politics
Women generally have less access to information than men, given literacy levels
Information on women’s rights, government policies and laws affecting them do not reach enough women
So What Do We Do Now?
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Information
More information must be made available to women, especially in rural areas
This is being done by civil society to a certain extent
What is required are mass information campaigns on basic rights (health, education, land, inheritance)
Information (cnt)
Information must be provided in appropriate language and format in order to reach the target audience
All media channels should be used, especially radio, which has the widest outreach
Information should not be targeted at women only, as men also need to understand the issues and impacts
Information (cnt)
Working relationships between government and development partners, civil society and the media should be implemented to reach mass audiences
Partnerships with the private sector have a lot of potential and should also be utilized to maximize this
Employment Opportunities
More employment opportunities must be created for the poor, particularly women
Employment in agriculture should be enhanced through direct investment
An enabling environment for the informal sector must also be created
SACCOs and micro-credit must be made available to women
Health
ARV should be provided to young women as a priority
Cost-sharing for basic health services should be suspended until an effective system can be put in place that does not disadvantage the poor
Education
Learning needs of young women should be addressed in gender-biased curriculums
School committees should be geared up to deal with gender issues
Secondary schools for girls should be increased, and proper facilities be put in place to cater for girls as a priority
Education (cnt)
The focus of education needs to shift from quantity to quality in order to address performance issues
Programs need to be put on place that capture girls who have dropped out/missed school
Laws, legislation & politics
The effects of the new Land Act need to be closely monitored
Trade unions should be supported to review employment practices for gender bias
Women’s representation on decision-making bodies should be increased in order to represent their concerns (at both national and local levels)
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