The Construction of Masculinities: Bodaboda Operators and Secondary Schoolgirls’ Pregnancies in Vwawa, Mbozi District, Tanzania.

Mwaipopo, Rosemarie N.

This study examines the influence of the construction of masculinities on the prevalence of secondary schoolgirl pregnancies in Vwawa, Mbozi district, Tanzania. The objective was to understand how the constructions of masculinities in some communities perpetuated certain behaviours that impacted on the human rights of female youth. The study used a qualitative approach and engaged both female and male participants in in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), informal talks, and observations. Key findings illustrate how masculinities are constructed through a shared process, influenced by wider social transformations, and reflect the prevailing socio-cultural contexts. In this case, the masculinities assumed by bodaboda [motorcycle taxi] operators may sometimes influence them to subscribe to specific patterns of group behaviour, including those that attract unassuming female youth, making some of them participants of such constructions, and others subdued in silence. The study thus recommends that more investigation be directed on how to deconstruct manipulative masculinities from multiple angles through social and institutional measures.

TANZANIA; TEENAGE pregnancy; MASCULINITY; SCHOOLGIRLS; SOCIAL influence

Journal of Education, Humanities & Sciences (JEHS), 2021, Vol 10, Issue 5, p1

2467-4745

Academic Journal