Barriers to Women’s Economic Inclusion in Tanzania

Abstract

The main barriers to women’s economic inclusion in Tanzania are: time poverty (because women have to spend so much time on household chores); lack of education; reproductive health pressures; lack of assets and access to financial services; in the case of agriculture - lack of access to male labour and inputs such as fertiliser; in the case of entrepreneurship – a difficult legal and regulatory framework and lack of access to business development services; and cultural norms which see women’s role as carrying out household chores and caring for children. This report follows on from one mapping women’s economic exclusion in Tanzania and focuses on the barriers women face in labour force participation. The review draws on a mixture of academic and grey literature K4D helpdesk reports provide summaries of current research, evidence and lessons learned. This report was commissioned by the UK Department for International Development