Browsing by Author "Manyama, William"

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    Assessment of the acceptability of modern family planning services in Tanzania: a case study of the Kuria community of Tarime district, Mara region.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2018) Manyama, William
    Despite 50 years of modern family planning implementation in Tanzania, uptake of the services is still low. This study assessed the acceptability of modern family planning services among the Kuria community in Tarime District, Mara Region. The intention was to assess how these services reach the local people, and how the local people experience and make sense of the services. The study drew on social constructionist theory to understand the interface between social realities in the Kuria community and global narratives on modern family planning services. Qualitative research approach was employed to generate data through: in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), observation and document review and the findings were analyzed by using content analysis method. Findings showed that the acceptability of modern family planning services among the Kuria community was complex, and informed by multiple discourses i.e., local discourse, religious discourse and global discourses. However, the local discourse played a great role and embodied numerous societal forces including: social-cultural practices and beliefs; the value placed on having children; gender norms, roles and expectations; and forms of traditional marriages/unions. The local discourse was mainly defended by men and older women who were reluctant to accept or outright opposed to modern family planning services. The upshot of men’s and older women’s resistance to modern family planning services was that few women of reproductive age used those services freely. In addition, the findings showed that despite resistance, some women are using the services creatively because of the challenges associated with lack of resources and economic hardships. A key recommendation of this study therefore is that it is important to consider the multiplicity of social realities in efforts to improve the acceptability of the modern family planning services. This study contributes theoretical insights to understanding cultural dimensions that reflect on lived experiences and meanings attached to modern family planning services.