Tanzania has in the recent years kept a steady economic growth and the poverty rate has fallen significantly. At the same time, informal financial services have increased in popularity as a tool for poverty reduction. Previous research claims that gender equality will progress when economic development is taking place. But despite the economic development, the situation for Tanzanian women is still tough and the man is considered to be the head of the household. This paper aims to show why Tanzania is a deviant case regarding economic development and gender equality, and investigate how informal financial services impact women empowerment, by looking at membership in Village Community Banks. Feminist theories are used to explain why economic development and gender equality does not always have a linear relationship. It is concluded that membership in Village Community Banks have impacted the women on a personal level, enhancing self-confidence and belief. However, the gender equality within the household is not progressing due to a patriarchal social ordering, where the male is superior and the female inferior. It is not enough to focus on financial services, such as access to savings and credit, for a woman to be empowered enough to become equal to her husband.

En la actualidad la participación de las mujeres en la Dirección empresarial se ha visto afectado, debido a que existen barreras en el crecimiento profesional de las mujeres a diferencia de los hombres. El Perú se encuentra en el puesto 66 a nivel global del ranking de brecha de género en diversas áreas como trabajo, salud, educación y política. Se tuvo como objetivo determinar la influencia del empoderamiento en los roles y aptitudes gerenciales de las mujeres que laboran en las tiendas por departamento y los Supermercados de Lima Metropolitana en el 2019-2020. Se utilizó un diseño no experimental con un alcance explicativo y un procedimiento de encuestas a una muestra representativa de 270 mujeres del sector Retail de las distintas empresas de Lima Metropolitana. Se construyó una escala de preferencia tipo Likert para hallar resultados. Se encontró que el empoderamiento de significado, competencia, autodeterminación y de impacto influyen en los roles y aptitudes gerenciales de las mujeres que laboran en tiendas por departamentos y supermercados, estos resultados muestran que el empoderamiento juega un papel importante para desarrollar y potenciar habilidades y aptitudes para beneficio de la organización. / At present, the participation of women in business management has been affected because there are barriers in the professional growth of women unlike men. Peru is ranked 66 globally in the gender gap ranking in various areas such as work, health, education and politics. The objective was to determine the influence of empowerment on the managerial roles and skills of women who work in department stores and Supermarkets of Metropolitan Lima in 2019-2020. A non-experimental design was use with an explanatory scope and a survey procedure to a representative sample of 270 women from the Retail sector of the different companies in Metropolitan Lima. A Likert-type preference scale was constructed to find results. It was find that the empowerment of meaning, competence, self-determination and impact influence the roles and management skills of women who work in department stores and supermarkets, these results show that empowerment plays an important role in developing and enhancing skills and abilities for the benefit of the organization. / Tesis

Thesis (M. Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The National government has implemented a rural development strategy, known as the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP), in various areas of the country including Muyexe village. The CRDP focused on community organization and mobilization as well as strategic investment in economic and social infrastructure. The programme adopted an approach that empowers Muyexe communities. It is built on the premise that rural areas in the country have the potential to be developed in a way that generates jobs and economic opportunities, thus providing an alternative to the urban centres, and contributing to the reduction of rural-urban migration. Muyexe has been one of the pilot areas in the country where the CRDP was implemented by the national government. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent of the contribution of CRDP women empowerment in Muyexe. The study adopted a mixed research method (quantitative and quantitate) in order to describe and understand the impact of CRDP on women empowerment. The researcher used a questionnaire to collect data from 92 households, which were selected randomly. In addition, qualitative data was collected through one-on-one interviews, observation and literature review. Interviews were conducted with ten (10) CRDP facility managers, employees and government officials who were selected purposively. Findings indicate that the condition of women living in the village has improved as women are allowed to engage in decisions that directly affect them, and women are treated with respect and dignity. There are signs of improvement in terms of women’s empowerment, namely access to resources such as land, health care, water and electricity; involvement in the projects that are designed to benefit the community; and holding leadership positions, despite the cultural and traditional practices. However, the participants of the study perceive that women are not satisfied with their working conditions and the income they earn. Another finding of the study is that CRDP has implemented various facility services in order to benefit the local community of Muyexe, through setting up a library, recreation centre, computer centre, early childhood learning centre, post office, clinic, doing road vii construction and many more. Other projects implemented include water reservation tanks, electricity, toilets and backyard gardens. This study found that the infrastructure and service facilities that were developed through the CRDP have a major impact in the lives of women in the village. Women have more access to houses, water reservation tanks, and electricity and sanitation facilities. Moreover, the projects initiated by CRDP have benefited women and their families as well as creating employment opportunities and skills training. The CRDP has not fully achieved its purpose of empowering the community, women in particular, due to several implementation challenges including inadequate coordination, theft and vandalism, and nepotism. Thus it is crucial for the policy makers and implementers to look into the different challenges that women are facing and come up with appropriate strategies that will further empower rural women in the study area. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Previous research has emphasized the importance of promoting female entrepreneurship in developing countries. Women often lack assets, financial history and are disadvantaged in acquiring wage-employment. In Tanzania, female entrepreneurs face these constraints when seeking resources for entrepreneurial purposes. Provision of microcredits has thereby been highlighted to empower women. Impact assessments of women accessing microcredits has its focus on evaluating a change in the decision-making of women. Our study focusses on combining factors affecting female entrepreneurship and achievements. Scarce literature has covered the possible empowerment of Muslim female entrepreneurs caused by microcredits in the world and in the context of Tanzania. Many Muslims do not engage in interest-based transactions. Instead, they use the products of Islamic microfinance institutions, who refrain from using interest-based credits. Our study, therefore, aims to explore the possible empowerment of Muslim female entrepreneurs, comparing female entrepreneurs who use microcredits provided by conventional microfinance institutions (MFIs) and Islamic microfinance institutions (IMFIs). Our study points out in line with previous research that microcredits empower Muslim female entrepreneurs in Tanzania. The study highlights that Muslim female entrepreneurs in Tanzania prefer non-interest-based microcredits over interest-based microcredits, as they are in accordance with their faith.

Abstract Introduction: This study examined the lived experiences of Female Entrepreneurs in Lagos State, Nigeria, who transitioned from traditional corporate employment settings to venture into uncharted entrepreneurial territory. In their transition from employee to entrepreneur, this study identified the existence of glass ceiling in both phases. Considering the perception of a woman’s identity in the Nigerian patriarchal system, practical attention and analysis have not been given to their experiences as employees and entrepreneurs. Seven (7) Nigerian Female Entrepreneurs with established businesses in Lagos, Nigeria, participated in this study. Method: A qualitative research method that builds upon the philosophy of social constructivism was used to decipher the transition. Storytelling theory assisted the interviewees in expressing themselves freely and facilitated this research. Also, Schlossberg's Transition Theory was the foundational theoretical framework for this study. Result: The result of the study identified the inherent glass ceiling in their transition. Some peculiarities of the glass ceiling within Nigerian context include financing barriers, gender discrimination, a good support system, and limited female mentors. This was framed as the “second glass ceiling”. They discussed their coping mechanisms to overcome challenges and build successful businesses during transition. Conclusion: The conclusion demonstrates helpful modifications that can aid groups, organizations, academic institutions, and policymakers understand Nigerian women’s situation in corporate and business domains. Such understanding could promote equality of opportunity within society and organizations, eliminate entrepreneurship barriers, and aid their long-term retention of corporate or entrepreneurial engagement. In the long run, this will benefit the Nigerian economy, corporate organizations, female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, and their communities.

Föreliggande studie avser att skapa en förståelse för begreppet kvinnors empowerment samt dess praktik i Kilimanjaro regionen i Tanzania. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur icke-statliga organisationer i regionen arbetar med kvinnors empowerment samt hur arbetet bidrar till en social hållbar utveckling. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal inom tre olika organisationer som arbetar med socialt arbete. Empirin har sedan analyserats, med hjälp av en tematisk analys, utifrån begreppen kvinnors empowerment, social hållbarhet, postkolonial feminism, västerländsk dominans och white saviourism. Studiens resultat påvisar att förståelsen av kvinnors empowerment grundar sig i att kvinnor ska återta egenmakten, att ojämlika maktförhållanden ska jämnas ut samt att stärkandet av kvinnor även leder till att samhället förändras och utvecklas. Vidare visar resultatet att kvinnors empowerment bidrar till en social hållbarhet eftersom arbetet grundar sig i kollektivismen inom lokalsamhällen. Ytterligare påvisar studiens resultat behovet av inhemska och lokala arbetsmetoder inom arbetet med kvinnors empowerment samt vikten av att frångå västerländska perspektiv inom det sociala arbetet i det globala syd. Genom att förlita sig på de inhemska och lokala arbetsmetoderna kan samtliga kvinnor inkluderas, eftersom dessa innefattar den etniska mångfalden. / The present study intends to create an understanding of the concept of women's empowerment and its practice in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. This study aims to investigate how non-governmental organizations in the region work with women's empowerment and how the work contributes to social sustainability. The empirical material has been collected through six semi-structured interviews with staff from three different organizations within the social work field. The empirical work has then been analysed, using a thematic analysis, based on the concepts of women's empowerment, social sustainability, post-colonial feminism, Western dominance and white saviourism. The study's results demonstrate that the understanding of women's empowerment is based on women regaining their power, that unequal power relations must be equalized, and that women empowerment results in a changing and evolving society. Furthermore, given that the work is built on collectivism within local communities, the findings demonstrate that women's empowerment contributes to social sustainability. Additionally, the result demonstrates the need for indigenous and local methods within women's empowerment as well as the importance of breaking from Western perspectives. By relying on the indigenous and local methods, it may result in the inclusion of all women, since it takes ethnic diversity into account.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The implementation of community development projects in rural South Africa was expected, among other outcomes, to empower women by creating opportunities for their sustainable livelihoods. This study investigated contributions made by such development projects on women empowerment in Lulekani of Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality of Limpopo Province. The research objectives were to determine the nature of community development projects, to examine the role of the projects in empowerning women and to find out strategies required to improve the impact of the projects on women empowerment. Anchored within an interpretivist philosophical paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research approach using a case study method. The study population consisted of women who actively participate in community development projects and those who are outside the projects. Purpose sampling was applied in selecting the sample. Inclusion criteria were that participants should have been participating in the projects and/or residing in the community of Lulekani. The sample also included a few women who did not participate in the projects. This was done for comparative purposes. For data collection, unstructured face-to-face and focus group interviews were used. Data were collected about relevant issues on empowerment such as, but not limited to, skills development, income generation, accumulation of assets, social capital and human resource development. The study found that the projects were contributing to women empowerment by creating employment and generating income for them and their families. However, it was evident that much more could be done to multiply the size of incomes and improve their lives of in terms of skills development and by providing support for the long-term sustainability of the projects. The study therefore recommends that policy makers should consider developing to more holistic and appropriate strategies to improve contributions of community development projects on women empowerment. The study concludes that while community development projects have a potential to empower women, this critically depends on strengthening their capacity, particularly with respect to management and administration of those projects as well as enhancing their access to markets and other support.

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Thesis (MBA. (Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to investigate career-entry barriers for female professors and doctors at the University of Limpopo. The findings not only offer a wealth of strategies for career success and for overcoming professional and personal challenges, but also shed new light on critical factors that affect women and their experiences at work. The quantitative investigation was the main method used and thus formed the core of this study. The quantitative investigation was based primarily on confidentially structured questionnaire provided to 66 female professors and doctors. The findings from the study revealed that there are various personal, institutional and societal barriers affecting women’s participation at the university. At the personal level such factors as academic qualification (PhD), administrative experience, management skills, confidence, assertiveness, high visibility, hard work and diligence were found to enhance women’s participation in university. On the other hand, absence of these personal attributes were said to limit women’s confidence in applying for senior management positions. At the societal level support from family and friends was found to enhance women’s participation. At the institutional level the recruitment, appointment and promotion practices stood out as the main factors affecting women’s participation in university management. In some cases these policies were not clearly documented. The results revealed that to overcome career- entry barriers at the University of Limpopo, female professors must constantly overachieve, maintain good relationships with others, and hold onto personal and institutional values to do the right things, expand themselves constantly, and utilize strong mentors’ assistance as well as sponsorship. v Recommendations such as an urgent need for the formulation of equal opportunity policies, provision of professional development and mentoring opportunities and the creation of a family-friendly working environment by providing programs, facilities, and services that respond to the needs of people with children where suggested. From the recommendation it is clear that there are strategies that needs to be put in place to solve career entry barriers. A prerequisite to meet this is hard work, commitment, support structure and persistence.