1. 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

2. 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

3. Labor Force Participation  Significant increase in male participation rates from 73% to 81%  Marginal increase in women in the workforce from 71% to 73%

4. 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 1990/12000/1 Urban DSM 22%26% Urban other 6%10% Rural2%

5. Female Employment by Industry (SIDA and ILFS) Industry19932000/1 Mining4%47.3% Electricity19.9%85% Construction5.4%22% Trade41.7%48.9% Transport8.7%66% Finance25.7%17% Services30%46.7%

6. Female Economic Activity HBS 2000/1 Urban 1990/1 Urban 2000/1 Rural 1990/1 Rural 2000/1 Agricultur e 47%28%87%74% Other2.4%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%

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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

22. So What Do We Do Now? -

23. 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)

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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)