Equality for Women in Co-operative Legislation and Reality

Abstract

Although the co-operative movement in mainland Tanzania started since the 1930s, women involvement in the capacity of members and leaders has been minimal. It is women who played and still play a major role in the economic activities on which co-operatives are based, in particular agricultural marketing co-operatives. However, when it comes to sharing the benefits of sale of crops by these co-operatives, i tis men who take the lion t s share. This state of affairs has historical background. Most African tribes in Tanzania are patrilineal for example, the Chagga in Kilimanjaro and the Iraqw in Arusha, as such a woman could neither own land nor inherit it either from her father or from the husband. Land rights in the matrilineal societies, for example, the Waluguru and the Zaramu went to the woman, albeit, it is the man on her mother's side who looked after and took care of this right. In both types of tribes, the woman has been treated as a beast of burden, that is, she is the one who cultivated the land, etc. During the pre-colonial times when Tanganyika had a subsistence economy the woman cultivated food crops, etc., but all important decisions in the household were made by the man. The colonialists introduced cash crop economy in Tanganyika. At this time, although it is the woman who worked harder in the cultivation of cash crops, for example, cotton in Mwanza, Coffee in Kilimanjaro and Bukoba, it is the man who. controlled cash after the sale of the. crop. And it is invariably the man who became a member of an 'Agricultural Co-operative Society. Likewise, in consumer co-operatives, although the bulk of customers constituted of women, women membership in these societies- beery deplorably small. This has also been the case in the savings and credit co-operative societies. During the colonial times women formed social groups led by district commissioners’ wives essentia11y for the purposes of learning homecraft like sewing, cookery, etc. This was implicitly to prepare the woman for her role as a housewife. This had, however, laid a foundation for arousing the consciousness of women towards democracy. Needless to mention their names, there were a number of women who consequently involved themselves in the struggle against colonialism during this time