Maternity rights protection for women workers in Tanzania: uncovering the gaps between the law and reality

Eugene Emmanuel Mniwasa

International Journal of Law and Management, 2025, vol. 68, issue 6, 1093-1117

Abstract: PurposeThis paper aims to examine maternity rights for women workers in Tanzania with a particular reference to the Employment and Labour Relations Act 2004 (ELRA). The paper appraises whether the legal provisions are effectively implemented or remain largely theoretical because of gaps in enforcement and application.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on desk-based qualitative research to examine the law on maternity rights protection in Tanzania and explores its deficiencies in protecting the maternity rights of female employees in the country. It investigates non-law factors that impinge on the law governing maternity protection, highlighting the gaps between the legal entitlements provided in the law and real-world enforcement.FindingsThe ELRA and other laws provide different aspects of maternity protection for workers in Tanzania. The realization of maternity rights for workers in the country is undermined by legal and extralegal challenges, thus creating gaps between what the laws provide and the reality on the ground.Practical implicationsThe paper underscores the necessity of implementing legal and policy reforms to address deficiencies of the law and to adopt and implement policy measures that will address extra-legal barriers, thereby ensuring the enhanced realization of maternity rights for women workers in Tanzania.Originality/valueThe paper examines the protection of maternity rights for women workers in Tanzania, highlighting the complex interplay of policy, legal, economic, social and systemic issues that influence or impact the realization of maternity rights at work.

Keywords: The Employment and Labour Relations Act 2004; Maternity rights protection; Women workers; Tanzania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ijlmap:ijlma-02-2025-0073

DOI: 10.1108/IJLMA-02-2025-0073

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