Gender Roles and Relations in Tanga Municipality

It is universally accepted that gender relations are socially constructed relations between men and women. Gender roles describe how men and women engage in or connect with domestic and public activities in a certain community. They are context specific, meaning that they cannot be generalized. Thus gender division of labour in Tanga Municipality’s Mabokweni Ward within Chumbageni Division may not necessarily be completely similar to those in Maweni Ward within in Pongwe Division. They are always specific to a particular place, a particular time, reflect social norms or behaviors, levels of poverty, religious beliefs, and other social factors within the community at the observed time.  Considering that gender roles are socially constructed roles, they’re therefore changeable (or dynamic.)

Gender division of labour does, and can, change. Social factors, economic factors and political factors all have a continuous impact on gender relations, whether this is intended or not. However, gender relations are normally prone to resisting changes.  Gender issues are central to good planning practice, because, good planning cannot be effected without knowledge of social relations between men and women in the intervention villages; good planning cannot be achieved if the different roles and responsibilities women and men have are unknown; good planning cannot be visualized if planners are unaware of the influence their planned intervention will effect on social gender relations; and lastly, because taking consideration of gender relations enables planners to edge closer to meeting actual needs in the context of men’s and women’s daily reality.

In undertaking a situation analysis of gender roles between men and women within Tanga Municipality, (e.g., on finding facts about the activities of women and men which have an impact on the environment)  two questionnaires were applied. The first questionnaire was addressed at Ward level Leaders, and the second at the selected inhabitants from the respective Wards. The former questionnaire had a total of 19 questions, these required numerous entries on: the gender division of labour inside the household; the gender division of labour within the household; access to and control over various resources; patterns in distribution and consumption of goods and services; perceptions on the environment; and recommendations on how to manage the environment.  

A total of 55 leaders (44% being women), were interviewed using this questionnaire. This questionnaire’s findings shall be used to establish a preliminary scenario on gender relations within Tanga Municipality. Nevertheless, the information to be canvassed herein shall not include data available from the entire questionnaire. These limitations have been necessary due to time constraints and therefore a prioritization of what is essentially crucial and easy to report on immediately.

The second questionnaire, was actually a semi structured checklist. This checklist  collected gender specific information from individuals as regards: their marital status; the number of residents in their households; their level of education; their main activity; their access to various services; their control over a range of household tools; general problems afflicting them; the gender division of labour in their areas; decision-making; and key environmental issues within their areas. About 84 inhabitants (49% being women), from the various Divisions were interviewed using this questionnaire.

The Gender Division of Labour

Overall it was eveident that women do most of the household work (see Graph below).  According to the questionnaires addressed to 55 leaders from all 4 Divisions in Tanga Municipality, women perform 48% of the selected tasks within their households (tasks included: cooking; washing clothes; washing dishes; milling; buying vegetables; buying meat; fetching firewood; fetching water; childcare; washing children; sweeping household; lighting the stove; preserving food; throwing rubbish; digging toilets; and, cleaning the environment). Second in terms of contributing labour was the girl child, she performed 24% of domestic tasks, followed by men, who were purported to perform about 16% of household work, and last was the boy child, who is supposed to perform only, 12% of domestic work.

While there are slight differences on perceptions as regards what the man does, (e.g., women leaders suggested men do 14% of domestic work, while male leaders suggested men do 19% of household work), there was complete consensus on the work that women perform, both male and female respondents suggested women perform 48% of all domestic work. On the daughter, women mentioned she did 26% of indoor work, while men mentioned 22%. On the son, women mentioned a higher observation than men, i.e., 13% as against 11% by men. In general, all observations by male respondents were consistently higher on the proportion of tasks done by men than were observations by female respondents. 

Regarding gender division of labour outside the household (see Graph below), it appears overall, the opinion is, men do more tasks than women.

Genrally, the respondents thought men performed 34% of outside tasks, compared to 32% by women, 18% by the boy child and 17% by the girl child. The type of tasks respondents were asked about included: clearing farming land; planting maize; planting beans; planting coconut trees; planting natural trees; weeding; harvesting maize; harvesting beans; harvesting wood; burning rubbish; cleaning the environment; dirtying the environment and throwing rubbish indiscriminately.

 However, it seems there are minor differences in observations by male and female respondents. Both female and male respondents suggested men as the bigger performers of tasks outside the household (32% and 37% of all tasks respectively). Women follow as the second main labour contributors to tasks outside the household (with 30% and 33%).

Observations were consistent as regards the girl and boy child, both respondents suggested that the boy child performs more tasks than the girl child.  This shows men and boys within Tanga Municipality tend to perform more tasks outside their households than they do within. Nevertheless, it is still women who overall perform or contribute most labour in both indoor and outdoor activities. The type of tasks respondents were asked about included: clearing farming land; planting maize; planting beans; planting coconut trees; planting natural trees; weeding; harvesting maize; harvesting beans; harvesting wood; burning rubbish; cleaning the environment; dirtying the environment and throwing rubbish indiscriminately.

The profiling exercise also looked at changes in gender roles within the last ten years. The questionnaire had two questions that aimed at finding whether these had happened as regards women doing tasks that were previously considered male and vice versa. Overall, 37% of all respondents mentioned women taking leadership positions as the most significant change in gender roles in the past ten years. This observation was similarly paramount among male (44%), and female respondents (29%).

The second key change was women and men sharing or balancing gender roles within their households, 14% of all respondents (e.g., 17% of the female and 11% of the male), suggested so. The third significant change was, women being educated through primary school, 14% of all respondents mentioned this change. Equally so, women working in formerly traditional male or male dominated professions was seen as a change by 14% of the respondents. Female respondents had women in micro-enterprises (21%), as the second main change, while for the male respondents it was women being educated (22%). Third for the female respondents was women and men sharing tasks at home (17%), while the male respondents had women taking employment (15%), as the third main change. In general, it must be admitted that changes in gender relations have taken place among women in the past ten years, and most significantly so in women taking leadership positions.

 It is interesting to notice that, when identifying changes in tasks that men do nowadays, that were previously considered as female (especially household tasks like cooking, fetching water or firewood), most of the respondents gave excuses as to why men do them. The most common excuses were either, men do this when women are sick, absent or pregnant. Also some men did these tasks when there was improved technology (e.g., a bicycle), at home. Excuses were not mentioned on me sending their children to school or clinics. In all, men cooking was the most significant change (35%), followed by men taking care of their children (29%), men doing domestic household chores (24%), and, men taking children to hospitals or health centers (24%).  Men cooking (41%), taking children to health centers (30%), and doing domestic work (26%), were all seen as the key changes especially be male respondents. Female respondents, albeit in less proportions, saw men cooking (29%), men caring for their children (29%), and men doing domestic work (21%),  as the most important changes. 

Generally, changes are taking place, but it seems it is male respondents who have more converged changes while female respondents had more dispersed changes.

Gender Profile of Tanga Municipality: Gender Relations and the Environment. Draft Report by Edward Mhina Gender Trainer & Consultant August-September 2000.