Main Article Content
Gender Equality and Equity at the University of Dar es Salaam: Approaches and Initiatives in Addressing and Bridging Gaps
Abstract
This article examines the approaches and initiatives for gender equality and equity at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). It argues that these approaches and initiatives are a reflection and a follow-up of gender equality and equity initiatives and
strategies undertaken at global, regional, and national levels. However the initiatives and approaches at UDSM adopted a gender mainstreaming methodology. Hence apart from articulating the concept of this methodology (gender mainstreaming), the article also brings in the actors of gender mainstreaming at the UDSM. Gender activities at UDSM started way back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but these were sporadic and scattered. However, initiatives for gender mainstreaming were officially captured and formalised in the mid-1990s following the establishment of Institutional Transformation at UDSM, and with the formation of a gender unit in the form of a Gender Dimension Programme Committee (GDPC) in 1997 and subsequently a Gender Centre in 2006.
The article dwells on the initiatives carried out by UDSM which took the form of research, sensitisation and capacity building for gender analysis, and affirmative action programmes. It argues that there are still a number of challenges which hinge
on cultural, financial, and personnel resources aspects. Lastly, it recommends further sensitisation of the UDSM community to improve gender organisational culture; and in this the need for goodwill on the part of the UDSM administration is imperative.
strategies undertaken at global, regional, and national levels. However the initiatives and approaches at UDSM adopted a gender mainstreaming methodology. Hence apart from articulating the concept of this methodology (gender mainstreaming), the article also brings in the actors of gender mainstreaming at the UDSM. Gender activities at UDSM started way back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but these were sporadic and scattered. However, initiatives for gender mainstreaming were officially captured and formalised in the mid-1990s following the establishment of Institutional Transformation at UDSM, and with the formation of a gender unit in the form of a Gender Dimension Programme Committee (GDPC) in 1997 and subsequently a Gender Centre in 2006.
The article dwells on the initiatives carried out by UDSM which took the form of research, sensitisation and capacity building for gender analysis, and affirmative action programmes. It argues that there are still a number of challenges which hinge
on cultural, financial, and personnel resources aspects. Lastly, it recommends further sensitisation of the UDSM community to improve gender organisational culture; and in this the need for goodwill on the part of the UDSM administration is imperative.
