Since 2009, the OECD Development Centre has shed light on the structural and multiple barriers affecting women’s and girls’ lives in developing and developed countries through the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI). At the global level, the SIGI measures discrimination against women in social institutions across 180 countries. By taking into account laws, social norms and practices, the SIGI captures the underlying drivers of gender inequality in order to promote gender-transformative policies that are built on data and evidence. The SIGI is also one of the official data sources for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 5.1.1.
Drawing on the conceptual framework developed for the global SIGI, the SIGI Country Report for Tanzania presents new evidence and primary data on the level of gender-based discrimination in the country’s social institutions at sub-national level – specifically the attitudes and practices that restrict women’s empowerment. Using quantitative data collected through a household survey statistically representative at the national and regional level, as well as qualitative data from focus groups discussions and key informant interviews, the SIGI Country Report for Tanzania provides an in-depth look at how attitudes and practices create gaps between women and men in terms of opportunities and outcomes, with particular attention to women’s economic empowerment, intra-household dynamics and women’s physical autonomy.