Gender, Poverty & Employment in Tanzania

Gender, Poverty & Employment in Tanzania Key points from recent analytical studies Waheeda Shariff (Carpe Diem Ink) Technical Support from ILO Inputs 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

Female Employment by Industry (SIDA and ILFS)

Female Economic Activity

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? -

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)

Gender, Poverty & Employment in Tanzania