GENDER
Meaning of Gender
Gender refers to the social relationship in terms of roles and responsibilities between male and female in
the societies. In this context, gender involves the roles and responsibilities, behaviors that are performed by
both male and female in our communities. There is difference between Gender and sex
Gender involves the social relation between male and female in the society in terms of role and
responsibilities
Sex refers to the biological differences between male and female in the societies in terms of
structures and body organs that differentiate them, for example reproductive organs of male and
female are different also reproductive roles between male and female are different
Gender Related Concepts
There are various concepts which are used in relation to the concepts of gender. It is important to know
how they interrelate or differ in the whole process of dealing with gender issues.
These concepts are
i. Gender Equality.
This is the exercise of fairness and justice to all sexes without discrimination
or considering whether one is born male or female. It is based on the beliefs that all people are
equal and should therefore have equal access to opportunities and resources. It is practiced in
giving equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities to both male and female
Gender equity
This is the principle based on the measures to be taken to bridge the gap
between men and women. This involves giving priority to women in order to reduce imbalance
that already exists. For example empowering more women, special seat in the parliament or
recruit more girls in science subjects
iii. Gender Stereotype
. This is the assignment of tasks and duties to a particular gender. To
stereotype is to have fixed ideas about a community, group or person, but which is usually not
true in reality. In this context, the society grades activities according to sex and it based on
capable of doing a particular task. For example some people believe that boys are more capable
in science subjects than girls.
iv. Gender Roles.
Gender roles refer to the adult duties of a particular sex as determined by a
society. Those roles have been based on the division of labour according to sex. Gender roles
can be divided into reproductive roles that include child-bearing and productive roles such as
domestic related tasks and other economic activities.
v. Gender Discrimination.
This is the situation where one sex (male or female) is treated either
better or worse than other. In this context, there are beliefs and obstacles that hinder a certain
gender to be accepted to perform a certain activity. For example some people do not believe that
girls should go to school, instead they are prepared for marriage at their tender age. They are
even forced to be married to husbands without true love
vi. Gender Analysis.
This is the systematic effort to identify and understand the role of women
and men within a given society. It involves the collection of gender specific information and
data from the community. This analysis is first step towards making the gender sensitive
planning needed for promoting gender equality in the society
vii. Gender Bias.
This the positive or negative attitude practiced either to men or women with the
specific purpose
viii. Gender Mainstreaming.
This is the taking into consideration gender issues in the development
activities at all levels. For example in making laws, policies and programs. It help men and
women to benefit equally from development projects
ix. Gender Balance.
This is the ensuring that, men and women participate equally at their work
places
x. Gender Blindness
. This is inability to know that, there are different gender roles, gender
responsibility and gender based hierarchy. This lead to the failure to realize that policies,
programs and project can have different impacts on men and women
GENDER ISSUES IN THE SOCIETY
Gender issues are all ideas that rise for discussion because there is inequality between the two sexes (male
and female) in the society. The following are some of the gender issues in the society
i. Sexual harassment such as verbal harassment
ii. Unequal distribution of domestic or economic tasks
iii. Male dominance in the family or community
iv. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
v. Inequality between male and female in terms of welfare, participation and control
vi. Inheritance of the widow
vii. Payment of bride price
viii. Violence against women especially in the family levels
ix. Women are regarded as the sexual object
x. Early and forced marriages
NEGATIVE SOCIO-CULTURAL PRACTICES
Culture refers to the totality ways of people’s life in a given society. It include customs, beliefs, language
,arts and social organizations of a particular group of people. In many of the African societies, there are
some negative socio-cultural practices that hinder equal participation between men and women. These are;
i. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Female Genital Mutilation is a collective name which
means the partial or total removal of the clitoris in the female reproductive organ (vagina).
Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of basic human rights. This is practiced by some
societies in Mara, Manyara, Dodoma and Morogoro regions. In Dodoma for example, 12613
out of 16789 (75%) of women who went for delivery between 1998-2000 were mutilated.
Reasons for FGM
To control women’s sexuality or sexual desire. Societies who practiced FGM know that,
biologically, there are some organs of woman body which are very sensitive during sexual
intercourse. One of them is clitoris. So to prevent a girls from developing interesting in
sexuality, they are mutilated (cut off clitoris)
Promote the young girls to adult hood. FGM goes with initiation of ceremonies that
promote young girls to women hood. So it considered as a prestige and a sign of maturity
among girls
Beliefs of preserving the traditional culture. Some societies believe that, female genital
mutilation is one among of the important African traditional culture that the societies must
practice it in order to preserve their culture. So people from outside the community should
not question or stop it.
Beliefs of improve women fertility. Some societies believe that, female genital mutilation
develop women fertility and improves a woman’s ability to endure the pain during delivery
Beliefs of making a girl clean. Some societies practiced female genital mutilation because
they believe that the young girls will be clean all the time because due to FGM, the girls
could develop the sense of adult hood
Effects of FGM
Marital conflicts due to sexual dissatisfaction. This can result from two reasons, one,
some men dislike the women who are mutilated. Second, circumcised women do not enjoy
the sexual activity, thus they lack sexual satisfaction, so they dislike sexuality altogether.
Can lead to death. FGM can cause the death to the circumcised women and girls due to
the prolonged bleeding during and after mutilation
Disturbance of the natural vaginal elasticity during delivery. Female genital mutilation
disturb the vagina elasticity due to the scar left after the mutilation
Spread of HIV/AIDS. Female genital mutilation can lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS
because FGM is practiced under unsafe condition. Sometimes, a single knife is used to
circumcise several girls.
Circumcised women can develop feeling of anxiety and depression. Women who are
mutilated develop a feeling of anxiety and depression due to the deformation of their
genitalia or due to the pain they feel during circumcision.
ii. Inheritance of widow or wife inheritance. .
This is the process of taking one’s wife after the
death of her husband this process has been discouraged in many societies in order to avoid the
rate of transmission of HIV/AIDS
Reasons for wife inheritance
Beliefs of promoting and protection culture. Some societies in Tanzania believe that,
inheriting the widow is one among of the way of promoting and protecting their
traditional culture
Management and retention of family wealth. Some societies in Tanzania practicing
this traditional culture as the way of preserving the wealth of a family after the death of a
husband. They believe that, brother of deceased husband is a right person to take care on
the family of his brother
Continuation of clan bloodline. Some societies practice wife inheritance in order to
continue the clan bloodline and family lineage after the death of a husband
Comforting a widow from loneliness. Inheritance of wife in some societies in
Tanzania is practiced in order to bring comfortably to a widow and free from loneliness.
Continuation of the bond between the families. Some societies in Tanzania inherit the
widow in order to make the continuation of the bond between the families of the widow
and deceased husband
Effects of women inheritance
Wife inheritance lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS. This is because, may be a
husband dead with HIV/AIDS, and a widows may be victims, so a person who
inherits a widow will be affected. So the government put efforts to abolish wife
inheritance in order to avoid the rate of transmission of HIV/AIDS
Wife inheritance leads to the violation of human rights. Sometimes, inheritance
of a widow is termed as violation of human rights because it has turned women as a
sexual object or leisure. A woman is to be there only to satisfy a man who inherits
her.
Wife inheritance leads to the psychological problem to a widow. Sometimes,
inheritance of a widow may lead to the psychological problem to a widow because
she was forced to be married with a man without her willing.
Wife inheritance may cause family conflicts. Inheritance of a widow may cause
family conflicts between the inherited wife and husband’s family, especially in the
inhering the wealth left behind by deceased husband
Wife inheritance may lead to the increase street children. Sometimes inheritance
of a widow may lead to the street children. This is because, the children of deceased
husband may lack good parental care from a man who inherit their mother
iii. Early marriages.
Early marriages are those marriages in which a person who gets married heor she does not reach the proper age of getting married. Normally, in Tanzania the suggested
right age for marriage is 18 years and above. Early marriages are not required because they can
lead to the increase of girls drop out from school as they get married at a tender age. This can
lead to the increase in the number of people who do not know how to read and write.
Payment of bride price. Bride price is a gift receives the parents of a girl in terms of
money, livestock or land. This convinces parents to be greedy hence force their
daughters to marry in immaturity age.
Maltreating the girls who live within the families. This may encourage Early
marriages because the girls who are maltreated may not able to tolerate such
treatment hence decided to get marriage to leave the family
Gender discrimination in education. Some educating boys rather than girls and
some parents believe that, educating girls is wastage of resources. The parents forced
their girls to drop out from school in favor of their brothers. After leaving school, the
next step for girls is usually marriages.
Tradition initiation. Traditional practices such as “unyago” prepare the girls for
marriage because it taught the girls how to take care of a marriage at early age. This
makes them to know that they are grown up hence married at immaturity age.
Inheritance of the properties. In some societies do not allow a boy to inherit a
property if he is not married. This encourages some boys to enter into early marriages
as a condition of inheriting the property.
Ignorance of some parents. Some parents marry off their young daughters because
they do not know the dangers of earl marriage that may encounter their young
daughters.
The beliefs of living the descent life. The belief of married early lead to the living
the descent life. Some society believe that if a young will late to get married will
involved into prostitution.
Problems Associated with Early Marriages
Complication during delivery. This is because, the reproductive organ of the
young girl is not matured for bearing the baby. This lead to the destruction of the
girl’s body.
Increase of poverty. This is because the couple are young and do not able to have
reliable means of getting income which become difficult for caring their children
Spread of HIV/AIDS. This is due to the fact that, the young are not able to make
good decisions on marital issues like going to check up for their health in turn lead
to acquire diseases like AIDS.
Break down families. This is because, the couple are young and do not have
experience, knowledge and tolerance of rearing the children and handling the
family problems. This lead to the separation of the family.
Increase of illiterate people. This is because early marriages prevent the girls to
continue with their education since they were forced to get married earlier. In some
societies the young girls are forcefully removed from school to be married off.
It accelerates unplanned pregnancy. This is due to the fact that, the girls are not
well educated about family planning therefore a couple will have the big number of
children in their family.
Solutions / Prevention of Early Marriages
Public education must be provided. Provision of education about the danger of early
marriage to both young boys and girls
To stop negative cultural practices. Abandon negative cultural practices that
encourage the early marriages like female genital mutilation and inheritance
To enact the laws that defends the girls. Enacting the laws that will prevent the
existence of early marriages
Effective implementation of poverty alleviation strategies. Poverty alleviation
strategies must be effectively strengthened that will help to prevent economic hardship
to the parents
Provision of education opportunities to the girls. Increasing formal education
opportunity to the girls and give them first priority in all aspects of life
iv. Cruelty or violence against women.
This is the situation which involves oppression and
humiliation against women. This is because men have the power in the community, so they can
do whatever they want against women. Domestic violence such as wife beating is common in
many societies in Tanzania
v. Excluding women from decision making in social,
political and economic matters as well as
in a family level.
vi. Dowry payment of bride price.
Some people considered that, payment of dowry is like buying
of that girl or woman, thus the women were put under the control of men.
vii. Food taboos.
Food taboos affect reproductive health to a woman because some societies deny
women to eat certain kind of food such as fish and eggs. This may cause poor nutrition to a
woman which lead to a poor health.
Corrective Measures t against Negative Socio-cultural Practices
i. Provision of mass education. To educate the people through various mass media on the
negative impacts of the negative socio-cultural practices, this will help them to take the
necessary measures to avoid those bad traditional culture
ii. Empowering women Organization. Some of the organization that defend the rights of
women like TAMWA. TGNP, WAMA and TAWLA must be encouraged and protected in the
country because they help to defend the rights of the women
iii. Enacting the laws to defend the women. The government should take the legal actions to
those who entertain negative aspects of our cultural values that affect the women status in a
community
iv. Prohibiting those harmful cultural practices. The government should take necessary action
to prohibit those harmful cultural practices that affects the right of the women in Tanzania
such as early marriages, FGM, wife inheritance etc
v. Provision of reproductive education. The reproductive education should be offered to both
girls and boys so that they can know on how to take care of their reproduction system by
avoiding those bad cultural practices that affect their reproductive health
Women Empowerment
Women empowerment refers to the initiatives taken by the government or organizations to promote the role
of women in Tanzania to engage themselves in political and socio-economic affairs. Women in Tanzania
are regarded inferior to men in all aspects of life.
Ways of women empowerment
i. Improving and increasing education opportunities to women. There must be the increase the
educational opportunities to the girls. If the women get education development will be achieved
ii. Improving access to the resources. There must be improving equal access to women such as land
and other properties in order to encourage women to liberate themselves economically
iii. To allow women to establish various social organizations. The women must be allowed to
establish various social organizations that will deal with the liberation of women in the country.
iv. Enact strict laws against negative cultural practices. The government should commit itself to the
prohibition of all cultural practices and customs that oppress women
v. To ensure equal access to women in national affairs. The government has to ensure that, women
receive equal opportunities as men in all social, political and economic issues within and outside
country
QUESTIONS
1. What do you understand by following terms?
a. Gender b. Sex c. Female Genital Mutilation d. Early Marriages e. wife inheritance
2. In five points, argue against the statement that “female genital mutilation is important”
3. “Some girls and women in Tanzania are the victim and were affected with Female Genital Mutilation.” As
civics experts, assess five driving forces that lead to this cultural practice
4. “Some societies in Tanzania pressurize the widow inheritance after the death of her husband.” This statement
was said by chairperson of LHRC when he homiletic the congress of women in Nkrumah Hall at University of
Dar es Salaam. As one among of the member who attended the congress, provide five driving factors for the
practice of this traditional culture in Tanzania
5. If you have given the chance to explain the reasons that, why there are many efforts which are put forward to
abolish the traditional culture of wife inheritance to some societies in Tanzania, which five points you will
explain?
6. Consider yourself as an expert from Tanzania Gender Network Program (TGNP), explain to the community
five cultural practices that should be prohibited in Tanzanian societies
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