Tanzania snubs gender-insensitive cultural norms for limiting women’s participation in leadership

DAR ES SALAAM: Gender-insensitive cultural norms and systemic barriers have been identified as some of the major obstacles continuing to limit women’s participation in decision-making, leadership and peacebuilding processes.

Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi made the remarks today, November 2, 2026, while officially opening the Great Lakes Region Women Parliamentarians’ Conference in Dar es Salaam, noting that despite progress in increasing women’s participation at various levels of leadership, they remain underrepresented in decision-making positions.

He said some existing systems continue to deny women equal opportunities to participate in discussions, express their views and make decisions on matters concerning peace, security and community development.

Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Ndejembi cited figures from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which show that women held approximately 27.5 per cent of all parliamentary seats worldwide as of January 1, 2026.

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He also referred to the United Nations’ 2025 report on Women, Peace and Security, which indicates that women accounted for only seven per cent of participants in negotiating roles and 14 per cent of mediators in major peace processes conducted in 2024.

He said the figures demonstrate a significant gap in women’s participation in peace processes and decision-making, underscoring the need to recognise and fully utilise their potential and contributions in peace negotiations, security committees, as well as the formulation and implementation of various policies.

Ndejembi urged stakeholders to ensure that women are given opportunities and actively involved at all levels of decision-making so that peacebuilding efforts reflect the needs, perspectives and interests of all groups in society.