'The world has changed; these days, women are the ones who are keeping their families'. Gender norms, women's economic empowerment and male capture in the rural Tanzanian poultry value-chain

Abstract: The study presented in this thesis aimed to explore how gender norms in four rural districts in Kilimanjaro and Lindi Region of Tanzania might influence rural women chicken farmers' economic empowerment when an urban vendor introduces an improved breed of chicken. More specifically, the following aims were explored: the normative expectations for husbands and wives in the communities researched, and how these expectations may influence intra-household negotiation processes following a market-led intervention within the Tanzanian poultry value-chain;                                                                                                                                                                   if and how intra-household resource allocation may be changed if profits were to increase within a women-led business. To achieve the aim of this study, the experiences and insights from the study participants were collected through focus group discussions in a case study methodology of the Tanzanian poultry value-chain in four rural districts of Tanzania applying a qualitative research approach within the research paradigm of Feminist Critical Theory. Data was collected through scenario responses in eight focus group discussions (FGDs) in Hai and Siha districts of Kilimanjaro Region and Ruangwa and Lindi Rural districts of Lindi Region and analyzed by applying a thematic analysis. Three findings are presented in this thesis. First, women and men in the researched communities witness a changing society in which women increase their presence in the economy. In contrast, men struggle to live up to the expectations associated with being constructed as the household's breadwinner. Second, women's economic agency may both improve but also compromise women's ability to adopt a practice of innovation if the practice is introduced without acknowledging gender dynamics present in the communities. Finally, findings imply that development opportunities in the Tanzanian poultry sector add levels of negotiations where women and men need to negotiate gender norms in their communities while deciding on resource allocation in a growing business.  In addition, the term Male Capture is brought forward as a central theme throughout the thesis. It is used to frame a dynamic in which men seize control over a previously women-controlled asset once women have demonstrated the success of an innovation. Insights are presented into the norms that trigger and legitimize the event of Male Capture in the researched communities and provide stakeholders in the Tanzanian poultry value-chain with information on how to approach market-led interventions without running the risk of marginalizing women. Finally, the thesis concludes that for researchers that aim to challenge the longstanding gender inequalities which legitimize Male Capture, Gender Transformative Approaches (GTAs) should be adopted.