Gender Norms

For my last college essay, I wrote about gender roles in Tanzania. I hope this helps clarify things for those of you who are wondering what it will be like for me and how safe it will be. Here it is:

The Peace Corps is a world-renowned organization that was established by John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship.  The three goals of the Peace Corps are: “helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans” (Mission, 2008, para 2). Over 200,000 volunteers have served in 139 different countries since the establishment just over 50 years ago. As of September 30, 2011, sixty-one percent of volunteers were women, forty percent of volunteers were working in the area of education, and thirty-nine percent of volunteers were serving in Africa (Fast Facts, 2012).

After a grueling yearlong application process to the Peace Corps, my departure seems to be approaching more quickly than expected. An online application, in-person interview, dozens of doctors visits for completion of medical paperwork, phone interview, and numerous other documents and paperwork have all been completed to get me this far in the process. That is just the easy part-June 6^th I will arrive in Tanzania to serve 27 months as a Secondary English Teacher and that is when the real work begins. Upon telling fellow Americans of my upcoming departure, I have received a lot of negative feedback, mostly around the discourse of safety. In this paper I hope to discuss how gender roles, activities, living environments, and cultural adaptation affect Peace Corps volunteers’ safety.

The first three months in Tanzania are designated for Pre-Service Training where we will be trained in all aspects of our new life: Kiswahili language, cross-culture, technical, community development, personal health, safety and security. During that time, each volunteer will be placed with a homestay family to help them learn more about Tanzanian culture and language. After Pre-Service Training is over, volunteers are placed at their permanent sites. I may be assigned to a new site where no other Peace Corps Volunteer has ever been placed, or I may be replacing a current volunteer who is about to complete their service. Although there may be a short overlap of two volunteers at one site, the majority of the two years of service is spent with only one volunteer per site.

Living conditions vary from site to site and may or may not include electricity and plumbing. Sites are generally in rural areas; it may take up three days to get from the most remote sites to Peace Corps headquarters in Dar es Salaam. Since there is usually one volunteer per remote village, safety seems like a concerning issue. Already, the thought of living alone in an American suburb seems daunting. According to Athena, a current volunteer, all Peace Corps Volunteer housing must have bars on the windows. It is customary for all volunteers to be inside by nightfall, with all doors and gates locked.

Gender roles of Tanzanian women are much more traditional compared to American gender roles. Women are seen as property of their fathers and later their husbands, and their primary responsibilities are childbearing and maintaining the home. For starters, women are expected to dress modestly at all times. Even with the extreme heat, ankle-length skirts and tops that cover your shoulders are expected. Teachers especially are expected to be dressed professionally. A lack of professional appearance can cause a lack of respect by students and colleagues. A few women are becoming more progressive and occasionally starting to wear pants, but even then, they must wear a kanga. A kanga is a piece of fabric that wraps around the waist to hide a woman’s figure. It doesn’t matter how a woman perceives her body, the whole point of wearing a kanga is to respect the culture. Even when exercising, women are expected to wear a kanga.

However, these gender roles are never quite set in stone for white volunteers. The fact that they are American reduces expectations for them to behave exactly like Tanzanian women. Because of the higher status as a teacher, and as a white person, volunteers are sometimes allowed to bend gender roles. For example, cooking and cleaning are considered traditional female roles but current volunteer, Leslie, doesn't do her own cleaning or cooking and says, “that is pretty standard for a teacher” (LC. personal communication, May 11, 2012). At formal functions such as parties or funerals, all women are expected to help cook. Other traditional Tanzanian gender roles for women include serving the men, sitting lower than a man, following men’s directions, and segregation of women and men when eating, at meetings, or in casual social settings. Rebecca, a current volunteer, tries to teach Tanzanians about American gender roles by acting and dressing more similarly to how she would in America. She states, “This is where I am able to show women that they can have a voice by setting the example. But I have to be careful not to be too much either way, not only for my safety, but for the safety of the women who may be using me as an example to follow. Too much too soon can hurt/harm rather than help” (RS. Personal communication, May 11, 2012).

Tanzanian men seem to love interacting with women-all women. Apparently it is common for men to hit on women, call them “baby”, ask why they are not married, or if they would marry a Tanzanian, etc. Some volunteers feel these are examples of curiosity while others feel it is a form of harassment. Men are forgiven for any sexual drives they may have, but women are not. Current male volunteers are constantly encouraged to seek pleasure from women, even if they already have a fiancé or wife. Compared to Tanzanian women who are busy doing cooking and cleaning, Tanzanian men seem lazy, yet still maintain most of the power. According to Dave, a current volunteer, people think he is odd because he lives alone and takes care of his own cooking and cleaning. Instead of demanding a woman come do the work for him (which is what I would have expected), they seem to write it off as him just being a silly American.

Religion also influences gender roles and practices. The two main religions practiced in Tanzania are Islam and Catholicism. Both of these religions preach the importance of the modesty of women. However, the degree of modesty differs by religion, or how religious a certain person is. “The men seem to agree with granting women more freedoms and excusing them from prescribed roles, but would never really implement them in their own households…They will directly quote the bible and then when I ask if they want their daughters to be treated the same way they say ‘no’”(CT. personal communication, May 11, 2012). Religion also plays a role is how progressively women are allowed to dress. In predominately Catholic areas, kangas are more widely accepted, but in Muslim areas, traditional dresses are more strictly enforced.

Drinking is a social activity that many people around the world partake in. However, alcohol is a depressant and lowers your inhibitions, so many unfortunate events happen as a result of drinking. In the United States, approximately one third of sexual assaults occur when the perpetrator is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Pretty much, the only people who are outside after dark are those who are drinking. Peace Corps Volunteers still find great pleasure in meeting up at bars or clubs to socialize, “but the rule of thumb is always travel in a group, never let anyone return alone and don't drink like you would in America” (AG, personal communication, May 11, 2012).

            Even when being cautious and especially aware of one’s surroundings, becoming a victim of a crime is always a possibility. According to Chart 1(see page 7), less than one rape was reported by Peace Corps Volunteers between 2002-2006 in Tanzania. It is the least common crime reported by volunteers in Tanzania. The Peace Corps promises, “dedicated specialists from the medical, mental health, security, and legal staffs will be there to help the Volunteer manage and recover from serious crimes, such as rape and sexual assault” (Safety and Security, 10).

Adjusting to new social, cultural, and gender norms can be easier for some, than others. Of the five volunteers I spoke with, all of them seemed to have adjusted pretty well. They even mentioned that life seems so normal it is hard to be aware of what is different from American norms. Of course, I am sure there are many volunteers who are unable to adapt as easily. I’m sure some women feel stifled by the mandatory clothing, oppressed by men, and harassed constantly for their single status. I think each person handles the stress of adjusting in their own way. Some volunteers seem to brush things off as just a cultural misunderstanding, whereas others really want to know and respect everything about their new culture. The best piece of advice I received came from Rebecca. She said, “You can't work here without being an active part of cultural norming. You also can't work if you remove all of your ‘self’ from how you behave (RS, personal communication, May 11, 2012).

Overall, I feel relieved about my safety after having done all of this research. The statistics prove that there is really not much to fear. As long as I’m aware of my surroundings and gain respect from host country nationals, I feel like I will have a fairly safe experience. All of the volunteers I talked to had never felt like they were in an unsafe situation. They felt very accepted, safe, and like the fact that host country nationals were curious about their culture. Leslie said, “I know my whole school/village has got my back, since I am ‘their’ white person (LC. Personal communication, May 11, 2012). I had heard other people say the same thing about receiving extra protection as the “token white person” in a village. By respecting their culture, I hope to receive respect in return.