QN. Why development is gender issue in Tanzania?

QN. Why development is gender issue in Tanzania?

INTRODUCTION

Gender issue in a contemporary world has become a very big agender especially in  development matters. In the contemporary world gender issue are day to day discussion, all this is to make sure that both men and women are engaged in all matters of social, economic and political matters.

Century ago women were often excluded full exercise of those civil rights which many men enjoyed, and most women never attained the status of full legal adults, now equality is conceivable. Men across the globe have had to come to terms with women exercising their recently required right in the work places, in politics and at home. Yet no where the actual equality has been achieved. The respective roles of men and women are still undergo profound change, in the process of transforming nature of the family, society, culture, politics along with economics and the world of work (Fatherolf, 2001)

.

DEFINITION OF THE KEY TERMS

Development is the progressive realization of capabilities and talents of each individual for his or her own stratification and enhancement of social goals, (http://www.guyana.org/nds).

Development is how a person, persons, societies and nation has gone ensuring that are health, safe, politically engaged and equality to each other, (Human Development Report, 2010).

Gender refers to culturally and socially determined characteristic, norms, values, roles, attitude and beliefs attributed to women and men through constructed identity of the society, (Kassimoto, 2008).

Gender refers to both identity and statutes ascribed to men and women based on social-cultural distinction.

Generally, Gender derived from roles built into social institution of education, economic, religion, and government as well as relationship between men and women in every day life, (Hedge, 2001).

 Developments have indicators, when talking about development we can directly refers to development in education, health, science and technology, housing, economics, democracy, environment control as well as cultural development, (National Strategies for Economic and Poverty Eluviations, 2011). 

The following is how development is gender issue:-

Employment . Various employment opportunities has been given to men especially those of respect and high salaries. This comes because of the believe that women cannot be employed in important position because their un capable in effectiveness and functioning. Because of that reason many women are unemployed and those who  employed are employed in less important position and low salaries jobs, while having a great duty of taking care of their families and society. Employment is gender issue towards human development because in order to achieve better development to any country we need to have a universe and equal employment opportunity to both women and men. This is due to fact that both can perform effective and efficiently in any employment opportunity.(Women,gender and work,2010).

Trade development. Trade is a gender issue because it shows that, in most cases men are much involved in trading activities compared to women who are less involved in trading activities. Hence participation between men and women in trading activities are unequal. For example the process of provision of loans is highly based to men than women doe to the fact that the men is the one who own securities for loans provision like land, houses, and other properties which are agreed by financial institution as the security of loans. Therefore, in order to achieve and to foster development in trade we need equal participation of both women and men in trading activities.

Agriculture. Agriculture is very important to the development of both micro and micro economic development. Both men and women play a vital role in the process of economic change, that’s why we regard agriculture as part of economic development is the gender issue. Women have always played an important role in agriculture activities compared to men. For example, understanding a wide range of activities relating to food production, processing and marketing beyond the farm women in rural area contribute fifty to sixty percent of labour  input in agriculture.(UNDP,20060).

Education. Taking Tanzania as a case study, a number of women and men (female and male) who sent to school are not equal. Female who join in school are few in number compared to male. For example, Dr. Kassimoto, J. J. (2008), show that, the number of female who take science subject at high level education is few in number from 2002/2003. the university of Dar-es-salaam who joined mechanical engineer had 4%, and academic year 2006/2007 were 27%. Also in the university of Muhimbili 2002/2003 academic year female student taking Medicine constitute 23%. And the rest percentages were male. Therefore, it show that, in Tanzania women are not considered much on education compared to male, and the only solution to solve this, is to attract female to study science subject and other subject so as to archive sustainable educational development for all.

Human health. Women and men have equal opportunity to have good health care and services without becoming sick or dying through causes which are unjust and avoidable. To achieve equitable and sustainable development in health is necessary to have holistic approach towards gender balance between men and women. Always women are the one who are highly affected by the presence or absence of better health care and services. For example, the issue of maternal death, child nutrition, and mortality rate has been the great challenge to women because of men’s absence and participation in maternal health and child nutrition. This reflect that, in order to achieve better health development, there is a need of equal involvement of men and women to improve human health, (New York City Department of Health, 2000)

.

Cultural development. Human development and culture can not be separated, since culture goes hand in hand with human development. Culture is the gender issue due to fact that its  positive or negative changes can affect both men and women. Cultural system like those of production, marriage and children caring if there will be no consideration of gender balance still those culture which are bottle to development like those of women circumcision, inheritance of widow and forced marriage will continuously prevail and culture will never undergo profound changes. For example, in partlinear society the one who supposed to teach children tradition and customs is the father but a mother is the one who spend most of the time with children. Because of that many male parents have failed to transform society culture from one generation to another. This implies that, there is need of involving both men and women so as to achieve genuine cultural development, (Angulu, M, 1975).

Human right. Human right is the catalyst of social well being of societies. Because it provides  favorable condition for social economic development. In order to achieve high. degree of human development gender issue  is a vital key on this context of human right and development. Right of property ownership, decision making, right to life as well as production and equal distribution of output are the examples of human right which should be promoted to both men and women at large. It has been a decades since social, economical, and political development stagnated by presence of inequalities between men and women. But since the issue of equality between men and women has been gained positive achievement human development has been fostered. This shows that, there is a need of addressing the process of human rights development as the gender issue, (Human development Report, 2010).

Science and technology. Science and technology is the gender issue science because it has opened rooms for the process of gender equality. For example, science has simplified many had work which many women were afriding to do and men were regarded those work is for them. The use of electrified machine, computer, and many modern and automatic equipments has greatly reduced the women workload and attracted many women to participate in deferent social and economic activities. For example, the use of fertilizer, and power filters has lead to the improvement of living standard of women in most of rural areas. The use of modern equipment in hospitals has helped to improve maternal health as well as the use of coal and gas helped to reduce the use of charcoal and firewood which were used by most urban women, (UNESCO, 2007).

Leadership. In aspect of leadership most of political position are taken by men during the election processes. Most of women are not competing to be elected in various areas like political leadership such as those of president position, member of parliament as well as ward councilor. This has resulted to many position to be held by men. Due to this un balance in political position many decision which concern with women matter’s fail to have priorities. Because of that, the issue of gender in political and democracy is inevitable.

Fishing activities. An analysis of coastal communities in Tanzania and Mozambique men control access to almost all resources including fishing , ()Golder and Macdonald, 2002:4). By taking Tanzania as example including Tanga and XZanzibar, Golder and MacDonald show that 68% and 36% in Tanga region in 1997 men involved on fishing activities in Kipumbwi and Mwambani/ Mchukuuni whereby women on that areas were 0% as shown Table number one bellow. This prove that women are not involving on fishing activities compared to men. These become a gender issue, and the only altenative way to involve these women on fishing is through giving enough capitals, instrument and education about fishing.

Mining activities. In Tanzania activities of mining activities of extracting minerals are done by men. Women are not involved but their work is to clean minerals extracted by men from the ground, (http://www.rubi-sapphere.com/tanzania-tanzanite-mines.htm). For women to involve on cleaning mineral while men involving on exploitation of mineral in the ground is not fair. Bernd Drschler, 2001:4 in the book “small scale mining and sustainable Development within the SADC region” show that, in Tanzania estimated 25% of women involving in mining, where Malawi is 10%, Mozambique is 30%, South Africa 5% Zambia 30% and Zimbabwe is 50%, and average all over Africa is 25%. This show that women are not much involved on mining. The only solution is to give them education about mining and implementing policies, (http://www.commdev.org/1798-file-asm-southern-Africa.pdf).

CRITICSM

Several constraint still exist that prevent smooth operation and effectiveness of gender related policies. Lack of gender disaggregated data lead to lack of comprehensive reporting and monitoring on gender issue.

It has become difficulties to track down expenditure on gender discrimination, harassment of widow and to enforce gender sensitive law’s.

Negative attitude an norms towards women still prevail, early pregnancies, and marriage continue to contribute significant to school dropout among the girls both rural and urban areas in spite of government and non-government concern on gender issues mostly in developing country like Tanzania.

Still there is contradiction on what gender issue stand for whether its only fighting for  women rights or together with men’s. still the view of the people focuses on women when the issue of gender is mentioned,

.

The government have tried to empower women as the process of consideration of gender in development but the women do not obey the favor. For example, most of girls and women they want marriage without engaging the activities to develop themselves.

CONCLUSION

Women consist almost the world population . the contribution and roles which thy play for the sustainable development can neither  be ignored nor underestimated. Over the year effort has been made to empower women socially, economically as we politically but achievement now days are seen.