Gendered occupation: Situated understandings of gender, womanhood and occupation in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to more comprehensive understandings of occupation by: 1) conceptualizing gendered occupation as a theoretical tool to aid scholars in unpacking the gendered and politicized nature of occupation, and 2) sharing findings from the first author’s critical decolonizing ethnographic dissertation research in Tanzania to illuminate diverse understandings of gender, womanhood, and collective resistance through occupation. The study in discussion employed a critical decolonizing methodological approach in partnership with MikonoYetu, a local women’s rights organization, over a 1-year period to explore five Tanzanian women’s experiences of gender inequities through occupation. Guided by diverse feminist theories, including Africana womanism and an African Feminist Communicative Lens, the research attempted to enact a decolonial approach, collecting data in Swahili, Tanzania’s national language. Methods included one semi-structured interview, one participatory occupation session and one tribal storytelling session with each participant, and member reflections and theoretical coding for the analysis of data. Four primary findings pertaining to gendered occupation, as situated within a broader exploration of Tanzanian historical, sociocultural, and political contexts were shared: 1) Situated Understandings of Gender, 2) Conceptualizations of Womanhood, 3) Navigating Gender Inequities through Resistance, and 4) Envisioning Gender Equity through Occupation. The need for future research is recognised, to explore the potential of gendered occupation to politicize and historically situate conceptualizations of gender and gender norms, as well as challenge unjust forces which continue to influence, shape, and perpetuate them.

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