Gender and Sexuality Notions as Determinants of School Pregnancies in Tanzania: A Case of Iringa Rural District

Pregnancy among adolescent girls is a major problem in Tanzania. It impends the government efforts to reduce gender gap in education and fight poverty, as it has become the major reason for school drop out among schoolgirls. Pregnancies among schoolgirls in Tanzania have been for decade associated with economic setback (poverty). This study describes and analyse the dominant notions of sexuality and gender, which persist in Iringa rural district in Tanzania, that shape boys, older men and girls sexual interactions, which in turn results to pregnancies. These dominant notions are the gender and sexual beliefs, values and practices, which are culturally oriented and socially constructed that shape adolescents and adults sexual behaviours. The study found out that the dominant notions on gender, which praises men and masculinity and the cultural perceptions to sexuality, which restrict girl’s sexualities, are the reasons for the persisting of pregnancy among young people, especially students. Therefore analyses for teenage pregnancy in Tanzania should try to focus on the dominant discourses on gender and sexuality which shape people’s behaviour and influence their practices since they seem to affect not only the lives of young girls, but also of young boys.