Pre-Project Reflection Activities: Gender

 Disclaimer:

The reflections presented on this blog are only the opinions of Matt Leslie.  I apologize for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information. My education is in Microbiology not International Development and while i aim to present well rounded and critical reflections, I apologize if I come across as narrow minded.

Gender 101

Gender is a set of behavioural options that are given to men and women by the society in which they live.  These options and social norms describe how men and women should behave.  Gender describes social differences between men and women that are learned: Femininity and Masculinity.

For this reflection activity I had to answer the following three questions:

What are your assumptions around gender roles in the country you are travelling to?

 

Without having done any research and thinking very stereotypically here is a list of the following assumptions and preconceived notions I have of the gender roles of Tanzania:

• Men hold more prominent roles in society and are seen as the bread winners.  Men will be viewed as more skilled than women, and it will be easier for them to find work.
• Women will be in charge of their families and 'home life'.  Cooking, cleaning and buying/growing/preparing the food for meals.
• Men will be more of the decision makers in communities, while women will have to struggle to have their voices heard and their opinions taken seriously.
• Women will be paid less for doing the same job as men.
• I also think that there will be some stigma attached to men and women who break social norms and perform tasks labelled as 'masculine' or 'feminine'.

How will you challenge those assumptions before your departure to project and while you’re in the field?


The assumptions I hold are based on preconceived notions and stereotypes.  To challenge these assumptions before project I will be doing research into Arusha Tanzania to try to get a better idea of what gender roles exist.  While on project, it is part of my goal not to be offensive and to respect customs and the culture.  I will use the following tactics to respectively challenge these assumptions:

• Leave all assumptions behind me and go on project with an open mind.
• Understand that things are going to be differences in gender roles (different from those here in Canada) and that I may not agree or be comfortable with some of them.
• I will participate in activities and perform duties that may be viewed as 'feminine'.
• If I get hassled or laughed at for doing a 'feminine' duty/activity I will  use my sense of humour to diffuse the situation and start a conversation asking why what I am doing is 'feminine' and why I should not be doing it.
• I will not expect anyone (regardless of gender) to do anything for me that I cannot do myself (washing, cleaning, carrying, cooking).
• I will treat everyone I meet with respect and get to know them without letting gender roles get in the way.

Research gender issues in your project location.  What did you learn about gender issues that you did not anticipate?


I think that the resources I found did provide me with some information that I did not already know, however a few of the issues I had already anticipated.  Although I had anticipated them, I think that the research made these issues really hit home.  While not really surprised by some of the things I'd read, I feel very fortunate for living in Canada and feel frustrated by how unfair some of these issues really are.

I learned that adult men are seen as the breadwinners of a family, and try to financially support their girlfriend/wife.  Getting married is a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood, and until a man has sufficient funds he is unable to marry, which creates some frustrations.  I found it interesting, and incredibly sad, that since men are viewed as the breadwinners, male children are given preferential treatment over females as it is seen as a future investment.

Female children may have an opportunity to go to school, however they are also sometimes responsible for tending to the sick and younger siblings, which frequently cause them to miss school.

I learned that while men are expected to act as the heads of the household, many are unable to fulfill this duty due to poverty and unemployment and that sexual promiscuity becomes a means for demonstrating ones masculinity.  While women on the other hand have fewer opportunities to find income and have little decision making power, often turn to transactional sex. 

While these gender issues are occurring, there are organizations (Tanzania Gender Networking Programme and FemAct) started and run by Tanzanians which are helping to advocate for social change  towards gender equality.  The Tanzanian government has also made commitments to include women in decision making processes, increasing the number of women in leadership roles and improving/protecting women's rights.

It was difficult to find  specific gender issues for Arusha Tanzania.  The following websites were helpful: 
 http://www.tanzania.go.tz/gender.html
http://www.kit.nl/exchange/html/2002-4_changing_gender_roles_i.asp

I am very interested in reading this blog post-project, and seeing how and if my views and assumptions are changed.