WOMEN

Women are a prominent part of the PSDP target groups. It is an undeniable fact that women form a substantial part of the small-scale business community (as owners and employees). Women are a clear majority in the micro-enterprises sector and the Income Generating Activities. Generating jobs and income to women has a direct positive effect on the household welfare. Women are a minority in the medium to large businesses community. In Tanzania, women have been marginalized in businesses and investment.
Women were not supposed to own property or even earning an income. This is a tradition, which persist even today. There are however, some changes occurring here and there though not fast enough. These changes differ from community to community. The government has put in place legislation to ensure equality and fair participation of women in the development process. The PSDP realises the differences in the positions between women and men that women have started at a disadvantaged position. Women are economically disadvantaged in terms of:

• Access to independent Income (although now changing),
• Relatively lower level of education and skills (a legacy of discriminating women from education),
• Lack of ownership of personal fixed property (land, buildings and houses),
• Limited involvement and participation in decision making both at household level and public level,
• Limited access to finance and credit,
• Discrimination in roles and occupations especially in the rural areas e.g. management of cash crops income where the woman does the hard labour and the man collects the cash.

The PSDP fosters equal access to opportunities and participation. Equal access may not be achieved if one group (women) starts at an already disadvantaged position. For all fairness, special emphasis to encourage and empower women will be accorded.

Strategies

Strategies to ensure that women get their fair share of empowerment include:

• Facilitating and emphasizing involvement and inclusion of women in leadership positions in the PSO interest groups, e.g. a TCCIA branch, or in advocacy forums or dialogue platforms,
• Special encouragement for women to form their own interest and lobby groups, by way of visiting them, explaining to them the importance and benefits of forming coalitions,
• Special capacity building programmes for women, e.g. enterpreneurship training, Business Management Skills at different levels,
• Fostering linkages for access to financial sources or pulling together resources, e.g. facilitating the formation of SACCOs and ROSCAs,
• Community education on the importance of involving women in the economic planning,
• Identifying economic activities which different social communities have designated to be women activities and assist in having more added value,
• Some motivation for interest groups to also include women as members or participants.