Women and Democratisation in Tanzania: Empowerment or Inclusion?

Abstract

This article attempts to address one important question, which is, have women in Tanzania been politically empowered as a result of ne w democratic institutions and processes?  More specifically, the analysis intends to  establish whether or not broader political changes towards democratization in Tanzania have any effect on women’s civic competence.  The focus on civic competence stems from the fact that citizens’ level of civic competence is regarded to be among the crucial factors influencing performance of democracy.  The findings of this article have shown that rather than being empowered to actively participate in influencing the policy-making process, women are largely reacting t the way these new institutions want them to behave.  That is, being voters members of political parties as well as members of self-help economic groups.  As a consequence, women have yet to be regarded as agents of change by democratizing the existing institutions to reflect their needs and concerns.