Some Factors That Hinder Women Participation in Social, Political and Economic Activities in Tanzania

The reality of the women of southern Africa, including Tanzania, is that they remain a vulnerable marginalized group that is yet to enjoy equality in status and access to services and resources with their counterparts. Women are found at the “bottom rung of poverty, of illiteracy, of landlessness” and are concentrated in rural areas where facilities and services are scarce.

Women are the most affected by negative impacts of economic adjustment programmes. Cuts in social expenditure such as in health and education mostly affect women and girls who are victims of the worst forms of violence. The customary laws have given men more power and control over resources and decision-making processes, hence making the system both patriarchal and undemocratic. This has led to widely differing access to resources and decision-making processes, which is partly the reason why women’s socio-economic and political status remain low.

Assessment of Water Shortage and its Implications to Gender Role

This study was carried in Mvumi wards in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The study area was selected to represent semi-arid biome as it experiences annual excessive drought. The majority rural dwellers in Tanzania live in extreme shortage of water. The general objective of this study was to assess the impacts of water shortage to social life especially to women. Questionnaire, PRA’s and documentary review were used for data collection. 

A sample size of 120 respondents was used for the study to cover two villages namely; Ilolo and Iringa. The finding shows that the majority (about 70%) ofrural communities are severely suffering from water shortage crisis. They spend more time to fetch water instead of engaging in other economic activities. And, women are more vulnerable and stressed to this problem. There is a need to supply water services to the rural communities in order to solve this problem.

According to recent report by WHO 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. As a result, 1.4 million children die every year from water-borne illnesses--that's 1 child every 20 seconds. The majority of these people who suffer from this problem are from Sub SaharanAfrican countries.