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?

-

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)