Overcoming Issues of Gender and Protection in ECD for Sustainable Development: Learning from Tuwekeze Pamoja, Tanzania

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Tuesday II)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Gender (in)equality in ECE settings

Proposal

The long-term learning gains for children when starting early are significant, especially for the most marginalised. To ensure sustainable change from these early years it is critical that issues of gender and protection are embedded within ECD.
Findings in a recent study from Southern Tanzania, Tuwekeze Pamoja Baseline Evaluation 2018 (Dr Julius Massaga, Dr Margaret Leighton & Kirsten Mucyo), demonstrate gender inequities from the very early years. The baseline evaluation of a quasi-experimental study with both quantitative and qualitative elements. The study highlights that from the very early years children hear disparaging gender comments as well as experience limited expectations for girls, particularly from fathers/male caregivers. Fathers/male caregivers spend little to no time with their young children and this is exacerbated for the girl child. 60% of caregivers believe that for a boy to become a strong man he must learn not to cry. Boys are also considered to be more stubborn than girls and are often disciplined more harshly as a result. These pervasive gender and cultural norms, even from the very early years, impact the resilience and confidence girls and boys need to succeed (Hartley & Sutton, 2013; Del Rio & Strasser, 2013; Wolter, Braun, & Hannover, 2015).
The study also highlights gender norms that impact the mother/female caregiver and thus in turn effect young children’s development. Women have little or no voice in decision making at the home or community level even though they are the primary caregivers of young children. Decisions in the home or community related to the care and development of young children, particularly in relation to financial resources, are dominated by men. The fact that education is not a priority for girls from the early years means that many women are illiterate, and men use this to disqualify women from leadership positions and decision making. When a woman ‘disobeys’ or does not consult a man this can provoke ‘justified violence’. 47% of men and 39% of women believe that if a husband beats his wife it is because she ‘deserves it’. Women themselves believe even more strongly than men that this violence is justified in specific cases (‘going out without telling him’ or ‘neglecting the children’).
The acceptance of ‘justified violence’ (in instances of disobedience or making a ‘mistake’) towards girls, boys and women is prevalent and clearly exacerbated by gender and cultural norms. Violence in the home and the longer-term impact of toxic stress on young children must be addressed by tackling deep-rooted issues of protection imbedded in gender norms to ensure girls and boys have the resilience and confidence to be school ready, succeed in school and achieve lifelong success.
Community based solutions that promote ‘out of school’ learning and address these deep rooted social and cultural norms in the early years are needed to ensure sustainable development. As we think about ‘Education for Sustainability’ we must wrestle with these deep-rooted issues and think beyond ‘literacy, skills training, and formal schooling’.

Authors

• Kirsten Mucyo, Education Advisor, Save the Children

• Margaret Leighton, St Andrews

• Julius Massaga, PI for Research, Save the Children Consultant