Exploring employment security provisions for women in Tanzania : A case study of fish processing industries in Mwanza city

Abstract

This research report explored employment security provisions for women in Tanzania. The study explored the sharp decrease application of employment security provisions for women under the employment standards in relation to the Employment and Labour Relation Act of 2004. This was pursued under the specific objectives, which were to elaborate the application of employment security provisions for women; to assess the application rates of employment security provisions for women in the fish industry and to give suggestions for solving the issue of employment security provisions for women based on employment standards in Mwanza city applied by fish processing industries. A cross section research design was used to quantitatively explore the relationships among variables. A number of 4 out of 7 fish processing industries were surveyed in Mwanza city. The purposeful sampling technique and stratified sampling technique were used to select the 96 respondents from the particular formal fish processing industries that were the sample size required for the research study. In the study report both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze data from the selected respondents. Data were coded and processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science. The findings elaborated employment standards under the application of employment security provisions for women as affirmed by both respondents with 100 % acceptance of the existing problem. The findings evidenced a low quality of security provisions during implementation stages associated with negative effects on working conditions, wages, working hours and leave offered by fish processing industries. In a specific manner the unpaid parental leave, compensation during weekly days, public holidays, dismissal during pregnancy and return on the same/similar position after maternity leave showed a negative impact. Furthermore, the exemption from hazardous work during pregnancy, recognition, promotion, training, career development, sexual harassment and violence at work place hinder the application of employment security provisions for women in fish processing industries.