Female Access to, and Control Over, Resources in Tanzania: The Case of Migrants Maasai Women in Dar es Salaam City and Bagamoyo District
Corresponding Author(s) : Elizabeth Lulu Genda
Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS),
##issue.vol## 10 ##issue.no## 2 (2021): Special Issue on Gender I
##article.abstract##
This paper examines female access to, and control over, resources in Tanzania. Specifically,
the objectives were to identify resources owned by Maasai at family level; examine women
access to, and control over, resources after migration; and assess women’s ability to sell
resources in their families. The paper emanated from a mixed method of cross-sectional
study conducted in Dar es Salaam city and Bagamoyo District to a sample of 230 obtained
through systematic and purposive sampling, respectively. The sample was drawn from six (6)
wards in Dar es Salaam and two (2) wards in Bagamoyo. Quantitative and qualitative data
were collected through questionnaire and key informants’ interview, respectively, whereas
respondents were selected using the snowball technique. Quantitative data were analysed
using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The
findings showed that the major resources owned by Maasai families are livestock and land.
Ownership of livestock is private, while land is owned communally. Women are the
managers over livestock, but have less or no control over them. Climate change impacts such
as unreliable rainfall that result into prolonged drought, animal diseases and deaths, and
other difficulties push Maasai men to migrate with animals to other rural areas, and women
to nearby cities and towns. Findings show that income generated through migration has
enabled Maasai women to have access to, and control over, resources; and increased their
ability to have a say over family resources. Thus, local government authorities should ensure
security in the informal sectors, particularly in the cities and urban centres, as they are central
for women income-generation and ultimately, empowerment.
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Adepoju, A. 2009. Regional Organizations and Intra-Regional Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Challenges and Prospects. International Migration, 39: (6).
Albanesi, S. 2019. Changing Business Cycles: The Role of Women’s Employment (CEPR Discussion Paper
Center for Economic Policy and Research.
Black, R., W. Nigel, W. Arndell, A. Neil, T. David & G. Andrew. 2013. Migration, Immobility and
Displacement Outcomes Following Extreme Events. Environmental Science and Policy, 27(S1). S32–S43.
Female Access to and Control over Resources in Tanzania
JEHS, Volume 10 Number 2, 2021 113
Blau, F. & L. Kahn. 2016. The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends & Explanations (NBER Working Paper
No. 21913), National Bureau of Economic Research. 2016, http:// www.nber.org/papers/w21913.
accessed on february13th 2020.
Blumberg, H. 2005. Females and Social Policy National and International Perspectives Marriage and
Family Review, Vol 39 No ½ and ¾ New York.
Carter, M. & C. Barrett. 2013. The Economics of Poverty Traps and Persistent Poverty: Empirical and Policy
Implications. The Journal of Development Studies New Haven, CT: Yale University pp. 1–20.
Carr, M. & M. Hartl. 2010. Lightening the Load Labour-Saving Technologies and Practices for Rural Women.
Report for IFAD and Practical Action. Rome: IFAD. www.ifad.org/gender/pub/load.pdf.
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, (COHRE). 2007. Women and Housing Rights. http://www.
cohre.org/view page retrieved on April 30th. 2020.
Chambers, R. & R. Conway. 1992. Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Practical Concepts for 21st Century. IDS
Discussion Paper No. 296. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies (IDS). February. 1992.
Coast, E. 2006. Rural-Urban Migrants in Tanzania. Social Science & Medicine, 63:1000–1010.
EFA. 2010. Reaching the Marginalized EFA Global Monitoring Report. UNESCO and Oxford, UK, Oxford
University Press http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001866/186606e.pdf. Retrieved on
March 19th. 2020.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFAD and ILO. 2010. Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and
Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways Out of Poverty. Rome. www.ifad.org/pub/ gender/
agriculture/gre_web.pdf (retrieved on April 14th 2020).
FDRE. 2002. Ethiopia: Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program. MOFED, Addis Ababa.
Flintan, F. 2008. Empowering Women in Pastoral Societies. Report for the International Union for
Conservation of Nature Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: IUCN. www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/?3627/reportwomens-empowerment-inpastoral-societies. Retrieved on May 5th. 2020.
Gurung, J. 2010. Gender and Desertification: Expanding Roles for Women to Restore Dryland Areas. Report
for IFAD. Rome: IFAD. www.ifad.org/pub/gender/desert/gender_desert.pdf retrieved on April
rd 2020.
Home Wood, K. & M. Thompson. 2010. Social and Economic Challenges to Conservation in East African
Rangelands: Land Use, Livelihood and Wildlife Change in Maasai Land in Wild Rangelands: Conserving
Wildlife While Maintaining Livestock In Semi-Arid Eco Systems. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Hodgson, D. 2000a. Gender, Culture & Myth of the Patriarchal Pastoralist in D. Hodgson (ed.).
Rethinking Pastoralism in Africa. London: James Currey.
ILO. 2012. Identification of Economic Opportunities for Women’s Groups and Communities Gender
Promotion Programme. Geneva: International Labour Office.
Karlsson, I. 2008. Rural-Urban Migration in Tanzania: The Case of Babati District, PhD thesis, Uppsala
University. ISSN 0283–622.
Kipuri, K. & A. Ridgewell. 2008. A Double Bind: The Exclusion of Pastoralist Women in the East and Horn
of Africa. Report for Minority Rights Group International (MRG). London: MRG. www.
minorityrights.org/download.
Kothari, C. 2004. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Sage Publication. New Delhi.
Landesa. 2011. Gender and Land Rights Debate in Tanzania. Lesson 4. Focus on Land in Africa Brief,
August 2011.
Lulu E. 2016. Female Migration and Control Over Resources in Tanzania: Case of Parakuyu Maasai
Women in Coast Region. Journal of the Geographical Association of Tanzania, 37: 1.
Mabogunje, A. 1970. System Approach Theory of Rural-Urban Migration. Geographical Analysis, 2(1): 1–18.
Massoi, L. 2015. Land Conflicts and the Livelihood of Pastoral Maasai Women in Kilosa Morogoro
Tanzania. Afrika Focus, 28/2: 107–120.
Mccabe, J. N. Smith, P. Leslie & A. Telligman. 2014. Livelihood Diversification Through Migration
Among a Pastoral People: Contrasting Case Studies of Maasai in Northern Tanzania. Human
Organization. Winter 2014, 73(4).
Mabogunje, A. 1970. System Approach Theory of Rural-Urban Migration. Geographical Analysis, 2(1): 1–18.
Massoi, L. 2013: Conflict and Livelihoods of Pastoral Maasai Women in Kilosa District, Morogoro.
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/lu-6871210.
Munishi, E. 2013. Rural-Urban Migration of the Maasai Nomadic Pastoralist Youth and Resilience in
Tanzania: Case Studies in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region and Dar es Salaam City. Thesis
submitted to Albert Ludwigs Universitat Freiburg.
Mwangi, M. 2019. In Pursuit of Livelihood Sustainability and Drought Resilience: The Human
Dimension of Drought-Adaptation in the Maasai Pastoralists Coupled Socio-Ecological Systems
Across Kajiado County, Kenya. Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies, 1–11. doi: 10.2478/ environ2019 retrieved on February 28th 2020.
Ngoitiko, M. 2008. The Pastoral Women’s Council: Empowerment for Tanzania’s Maasai. The Pastoral
Women’s Gatekeeper Series of the Natural Resources Group No. 137e. London: IIED.
www.landcoalition.org/pdf/08_iied_pastoral_womens_council.pdf (Retrieved on March 13th
.
.
Oishi, N. 2002. Gender and Migration: An Integrative Approach. Working Paper 49, the Center for
Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California, San Diego.
Smith, M. 2012. Anthropology Department, University of Colorado; Maasai and the Tanzanite Trade:
New Facets of Livelihood Diversification in Northern Tanzania. PhD Dissertation.
Todaro, P. 1976. Urban Job Expansion, Induced Migration and Rising Unemployment: A Formulation
and Simplified Empirical Test for LDCs. Journal of Development Economics, 3(3): 211–225.
United Nations (UN). 2009. Women’s Control Over Economic Resources and Access to Financial
Resources, Including Microfinance. Paper Prepared for the 2009 World Survey on the Role of
Women in Development. Department of Economics and Social Affairs. Division for the
Advancement of Women. New York, NY.
—. 2010. Achieving Gender Equality, Women Empowerment and Strengthening Development Cooperation.
New York.
—. 2014. Report of the Secretary-General Women and Peace and Security. Security Council.
S/2014/693. New York.
—. 2011. Progress of the World’s Women 2011–2012 in Pursuit of Justice. http//progess. unwomen.org
retrieved on May 25th 2020.
United States Agency International Development (USAID). 2012. Tanzania Climate Vulnerability Profile.
Annex to Agency Sustainability Plan and Agency Adaptation Plan. USAID: Dar es Salaam.
Female Access to and Control over Resources in Tanzania
JEHS, Volume 10 Number 2, 2021 115
World Bank. 2005. Engendering Development: Through Gender Equality in Rights Resources and Voice.
New York: NY Oxford University Press.
—. 2013. Women, Business and the Law 2014–Removing Restrictions to Enhance Gender Equality.
Washington, D.C, September 2013.
World Economic Forum. 2013. The Global Gender Gap Report. Geneva. http://www3. weforum.
org/docs/wef_gender. retrieved on May 4th 2020.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 2005. State of World Population 2005. New York.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) & Microcredit Summit Campaign. 2006. From Microfinance
to Macro Change: Integrating Health Education and Microfinance to Empower Women and Reduce
Poverty. New York.
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). 2005. Gender Equality: Striving
for Justice in an Unequal World. Geneva.