Title: Entering in and sustaining a career in male-dominated jobs: an examination of female security guards' experiences in Iringa region, Tanzania

Authors: David J. Manyerere; Japhace Poncian

Addresses: Department of History, Political Science and Development Studies, Mkwawa University College of Education, Iringa, Tanzania ' Department of History, Political Science and Development Studies, Mkwawa University College of Education, Iringa, Tanzania

Abstract: This paper studies challenges confronting women while seeking to enter and sustain a career in the booming male dominated private security companies (PSCs). It uses the socialist feminist approach and qualitative interviews with female and male security guards, and PSC managers in Iringa, Tanzania to show that women seeking employment in PSCs are constrained by sexual harassment and exploitation as well as having to secure consent of their spouses before they can take up the job offers. Similarly, for those who make it into the PSCs, challenges such as tight and long-hour shifts and sexual harassment and exploitation are part of their daily experiences at work. The strategies devised to address these challenges and/or cope with them are not helping women. Moreover, while some challenges are common to both men and women, their sexual differences and burdensome domestic chores make women more vulnerable than men.

Keywords: female security guards; FSGs; private security companies; PSCs; employment; male-dominated occupations; Iringa; Tanzania.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGSDS.2017.089484

International Journal of Gender Studies in Developing Societies, 2017 Vol.2 No.3, pp.241 - 262

Received: 13 May 2017
Accepted: 10 Sep 2017
Published online: 26 Jan 2018 *

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