Struggling with dual routines: How do rural women manage employment and household roles in Busega District, Tanzania

This study examines the challenges faced by employed rural women in Busega District of Tanzania as they conduct workplace and household roles. Using Role Theory, the study examined the process of balancing those dual routines within a limited timeframe, based on the roles assigned to them. The study used qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and non-participant observations, to collect data. Data were analysed using step-by-step manual thematic analysis. The findings revealed challenges encountered by employed rural women, including limited time to balance dual routines, difficulty planning and organising daily schedules, social-cultural norms around gender roles, and limited access to essential resources to reduce the burden of household roles. As a result, rural women employed coping mechanisms, such as forming support networks and arranging flexible time schedules to accommodate household and workplace roles. The coping mechanisms included managing time more effectively, using labour-saving devices to simplify the household workload for the minority, advocating for improved infrastructure, and role-sharing within the household to balance the dual routines. This study concludes that when women get employed, they also struggle to fulfil household roles alongside workplace roles. Therefore, the government of Tanzania should address the challenge by formulating targeted strategies and integrating them into the National Community Development Policy (NCDP) of 1996 (as revised in 2018). Suggested targets include establishing affordable childcare, improving rural infrastructure, promoting equitable household role-sharing, introducing flexible work arrangements, and strengthening community support networks for employed rural women in Tanzania.