Roles, livelihoods, and the safety of women in Tanzania have improved significantly since the 20th century, made evident by the seating of Samia Suluhu Hassan – their first female president.

Though throwbacks to a once strongly patriarchal society remain (particularly in regard to certain marital laws that favour Islamic and Christian traditions), modernised locals – like Dar es Salaam and Arusha – tell a story of upward mobility.

Relatively high rates of gendered violence,[3] as well as barriers to full legal rights and education, leave a lot of room for improvement but it can no longer be said that these issues characterise the average woman's experience in Tanzania.

The logic behind this tradition is that the female rite of passage is motherhood, therefore women must stay close to their household to avoid polluted climates and remain fertile.

On top of all the household duties, caring for the children and the elderly, the wives did all the weeding, planting and harvesting, while men were only needed to complete the heavy lifting.

This culture left 21% of women claiming to have either experienced physical violence or threats of such acts – including sexual assault (usually at the hands of their spouse).