Department of Gender Studies

The Impact of Parental Digital Literacy on Children’s Well- being: Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence in Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania

2026-03-10T09:16:34Z

The Impact of Parental Digital Literacy on Children’s Well- being: Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence in Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania Mkama, Sunday Isdory; Mgode, Simeon Hazore Parental digital literacy in the information age has also emerged as an essential aspect of children's well-being, with psychological, social, and emotional implications for their development. This study examines the effects of children's well-being by parental digital literacy, with emotional intelligence (EI) as a mediator, in Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania. Informed by Human Capital Theory, Emotional Intelligence Theory, and Digital Literacy frameworks, the research used a cross-sectional survey design with a multistage sample of primary school children's parents. Data were gathered from 364 respondents using structured questionnaires and statistically examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling for purposes of evaluating reliability, validity, and hypothesized relationships. Results show parental digital literacy to have a highly significant impact on children's well-being and children's Emotional Intelligence in a positive way. Emotional intelligence, however, is a highly significant predictor of child well-being and also mediates the association between parental digital literacy and well-being. They suggest that technologically sophisticated parents not only create secure and nurturing online environments but also create socio-emotional competencies for integrative child development. The study extends Human Capital Theory to digital parenting and implies applicability and policy implications, such as parent-focused digital literacy education and emotional intelligence development in school and family support programs. Linking digital competencies with socio-emotional progress is required in order to enhance children's wellbeing in today's digitalised life. article

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Training on the Business Performance: Evidence from Women Food Vendors in Ilala Municipality, Tanzania

2026-03-10T09:15:37Z

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Training on the Business Performance: Evidence from Women Food Vendors in Ilala Municipality, Tanzania Dr. Mkama, Sunday Isdory The importance of entrepreneurship in stimulating economic development has been highlighted. However, in developing countries, the growth of women entrepreneurs has been constrained by barriers related to structure and culture, which ultimately restrict their ability to grow their businesses. Thus, the objective of this research project is to determine how entrepreneurial training influences the performance of women entrepreneurs who are food vendors in Ilala Municipality, Tanzania. To achieve this objective, the Research will be guided by the Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV), Human Capital Theory and Theory of Planned Behaviour. The study will consider entrepreneurial training as developing essential competence required by women entrepreneurs. These competencies include: business, technical, personal, entrepreneurial, social, and interpersonal skills, leads to improved business performance. This study utilized a cross-sectional design and quantitative methodology to sample 320 women food vendors (at the ferry, Buguruni, and Kisutu markets). Structured questionnaires were used to collect survey data, which was then analysed by Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that training for entrepreneurs positively influences business performance significantly (β = 0.759, p < 0.001), explaining 57.7% of variance. As performance demonstrated, there were positive increases in profitability, customer loyalty, speed of service and business growth. The findings of the study supports that entrepreneur training provides a significant pathway for women to succeed in business, with immediate and ongoing positive impacts. The study highlights the importance of developing training that is context specific and includes innovation, motivation and resilience in order to empower women food vendors to address structural barriers. Therefore, recommendations are made to policymakers and training providers to develop interventions that can increase women's entrepreneurial capacity, and drive local economic development. article

Assessing Entrepreneurial Skills and Training Needs for Succesful Business Performance among Women Food Vendors: Evidence from Ilala, Tanzania

2026-03-10T09:14:38Z

Assessing Entrepreneurial Skills and Training Needs for Succesful Business Performance among Women Food Vendors: Evidence from Ilala, Tanzania Mkama, Sunday Isdory The focus of this study was to investigate the entrepreneurial skills and self-reported training requirements of women food vendors in Ilala Municipality Tanzania. Despite their significance in local food systems and urban livelihoods, women food vendors generally work in vulnerable, informal contexts with low levels of financial, management, and strategic skills. This research utilized Training Needs Assessment (TNA) Theory and Human Capital Theory. A cross-sectional mixed-methods research design was employed which consisted of quantitative surveys (n = 159) of women food vendors and semi-structured qualitative interviews with key informants. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, importance-performance difference, and by applying a thematic analysis approach. The study findings showed that women food vendors are proficient in making food, storing food, and serving food but lack management, financial, and social skills. All respondents indicated that they needed training in routine planning, marketing, customer care, problem-solving, and identifying opportunities. Many used financial indicators to show business success, such as being profitable and selling more products, but they also mentioned non-financial indicators, such as customer satisfaction and independence. Qualitative findings confirmed the need for training programs with structure, context-specificity, consistent goals, and an emphasis on increasing management and cognitive skills instead of repetitions of technical skills.The study highlights that closing entrepreneurship skills gaps with systematic evidence and competency-based training, can significantly improve the performance and sustainability of women-run enterprises in the informal economy in Tanzania. The study suggests a systematic approach to municipal entrepreneurship programs to include ongoing training needs assessments, thus establishing systematic connections between the education and training contents and market needs. This study contributes generally to the discourse on women's economic empowerment and sustainable urban entrepreneurship article

Mediating Role of Social Support on the Relationship Between Gender-Based Violence and Mental Health among Women Domestic Workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2026-02-02T13:39:38Z

Mediating Role of Social Support on the Relationship Between Gender-Based Violence and Mental Health among Women Domestic Workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Mkama, Sunday Isdory This study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and mental health among women domestic workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A cross-sectional study design was employed, and data were collected from 385 women domestic workers using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using partial least squaresstructural equation modelling (PLSSEM) to test hypothesised relationships between variables. Gender-based violence was significantly positively associated with social support (β= 0. 629; tvalue = 18. 779; p < 0. 000); social support was significantly positively associated with mental health (β= 0. 293; t-value = 6. 290; p<0. 000); and social support partially mediated the relationship between GBV and mental health (β= 0. 184; t-value = 6. 067; p< 0. 000); in other words, it was protective against the negative effects of GBV on mental health. The results indicate that social support acts as a buffer to mitigate the psychological effects of GBV on this vulnerable group. This study recommends targeted interventions to strengthen social support networks and policy interventions to address GBV and improve mental well-being among women domestic workers. This study contributes to the literature on GBV and mental health in low-resource settings by highlighting the need for context-specific interventions for marginalised groups. Article