0

Tec

What motivates women to go

to secondary school?

– A case study in Babati, Tanzania

Södertörn University | School of Natural Science, Technology and

Environmental Studies | Bachelor Thesis 15 ECTS | Development and

International Cooperation| Spring 2013

By: Anja Melin

Supervisor: Vesa-Matti Loiske

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all of the wonderful young women that I have been able to meet and

interview during this study. You have taught me some much, and for that I am thankful. “As

humans we need to acquire something, we have a purpose on earth. I need to learn and then

maybe I can use it somewhere” Dunya.

Abstract

This case-study was conducted in Babati Town in Tanzania and examines what motivates

women to go to secondary school and the goals that they have with their education. Semi-

structured interviews were conducted with 12 young women and a content analysis was

conducted on the interview narratives.

Motivation plays a vital role for being able to accomplish and perform well in education and

to improve future life. Maslow’s theory of motivation, the needs hierarchy, is used to examine

how the women’s motivations can be viewed. The concept of empowerment is used to

examine if the women are motivated by empowerment. The results of this study show that

control over their own life is a primary motivation for the women as well as having an income

and a job. The results are connected to previous research showing that the goals of having a

stable income and attracting a well-educated partner are primary motivations. The women are

primarily motivated by the higher levels of Maslow’s needs hierarchy, i.e. the esteem needs

and the study shows that women’s motivations can be connected to empowerment. The study

also connects Maslow’s needs hierarchy and empowerment to development.

Key words: Maslow, empowerment, development, control, self-esteem

Table of Contents

1. Problem formulation .......................................................................................................... 1

2. Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 2

3. Research questions ............................................................................................................. 3

4. Previous research ................................................................................................................ 3

5. Theory ................................................................................................................................ 5

5.1 Maslow ............................................................................................................................. 5

5.2 Empowerment .................................................................................................................. 7

5.2.1 Empowerment, as defined in this essay .................................................................. 11

6. Method ............................................................................................................................. 12

6.1 Respondents and interviews ........................................................................................... 13

6.2 Material .......................................................................................................................... 14

6.3 Operationalization .......................................................................................................... 15

6.4 Reliability and validity ................................................................................................... 15

7. Empirical data .................................................................................................................. 16

7.1 Narratives ....................................................................................................................... 16

7.2 Quotes and short stories from the other respondents ..................................................... 23

8. Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 24

8.1 Motivations ..................................................................................................................... 24

8.2 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs .......................................................................................... 27

8.2.1 Analysis Maslow’s hierarchy of needs .................................................................... 29

8.3 Empowerment ................................................................................................................ 31

8.3.3 Analysis Empowerment .......................................................................................... 33

8.4 Concluding Analysis ...................................................................................................... 33

9. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 36

10. References ........................................................................................................................ 39

11. List of respondents ........................................................................................................... 41

12. Appendices A-B ............................................................................................................... 42

A: Interview questions ............................................................................................................. 42

B: Secondary schools ............................................................................................................... 43

1

1. Problem formulation

Women’s life quality increases through education, for instance by enhancing their ability to

affect family decisions and thereby lowering fertility rates. Women’s position is strengthened

by education (Sen, 2002, p. 208-209). Education affects both men and women positively by

increasing their access to knowledge and information and by increasing their individual

independence. Young men have more contact with the outside world (especially in developing

countries) and the effects of education are therefore more visible among women who are more

isolated. Women therefore often gain more autonomy and power through education.

Relatively high levels of education have the most impact on women’s autonomy. The effects

vary between countries and cultures, and are affected by the degree of a country’s

development (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 36-37). Education has positive effects on both women and

the society, which makes it a relevant and interesting area of research. Women’s and their

families’ well-being, as well as the state’s wealth and economy are dependent upon women’s

accomplishments. The higher education a women has, the likelier it is that she participates in

the labor force (Hide and Kling, 2001, p. 364).

It is obvious that development and education are two interacting processes. It is difficult to

say that one causes the other, they both co-exist and affect each other. Education can

empower women by affecting their age of marriage and child-bearing, but education cannot

be seen as an isolated factor. Empowerment is also affected by other variables, such as the

level of economic development and the characteristics of social structures (Moulton, 1997, p.

3). Cochrane (1979) argues that there is a strong link between fertility rates and education

(Moulton, 1997, p. 5). Schooling affects women’s social, economic and personal behavior

which in turn affects fertility rates and survival rates of children. Jejeebhoy states that the

more educated women are the later they marry and hence get smaller families. Secondary and

higher education has the most impact. (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 17-22, 36-37, 60-61, 97-98). Much

research in developing countries shows that women’s primary education affect societies in a

positive way. Research on how higher education for women affect development has not got

the same attention (Tjomsland, 2009, p. 407-408). Research on how higher education for

women affect development has not been given the same attention and it is therefore an

important area of research. The focus here will therefore be on women in secondary school.

Motivations and goals play an important role in fulfilling and accomplishing education

(Raufelder, Jagenow, Drury, Hoferichter, 2012, p. 1) and it is of great importance to

2

encourage young people to attend school in a regular way (Dunne and Ananga, 2013, p. 204).

Humans are motivated by their basic needs: physiological needs, safety needs, love needs,

self-esteem needs and self-actualization needs (Maslow, 1943, p. 372-382). Self-

transcendence is another motivating factor (Koltko-Riviera, 2006, p. 302-217). These needs

will be explained more in detail in the theoretical chapter. Education is seen as a way of

empowering women, and it will be examined if empowerment also is a factor that motivates

women in their education. Concepts of empowerment will be used as a theoretical framework

and it will be examined if motivations can be connected to empowerment.

It is vital to understand women’s motivation to be educated, as it is important to accomplish

education because of its positive effects on both individual women and the society. Higher

education for women has positive implications for development, as it creates societies that are

more gender equitable (Tjomsland, 2009, p. 422-423). It is therefore vital to support women

in their studies and to understand what drives humans, in this case women, in their actions and

decision making. It can contribute to improvements in women’s schooling and give us a better

understanding of the society they live in.

2. Purpose

As explained above, education is a way to increase women’s autonomy and affect fertility

rates positively (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 36-37). The purpose with this case-study is to examine

what motivates young women in Babati to attend secondary school and what their goals are

with their education.

It is vital to understand women’s motivations, to understand why they act in certain ways. It

can also contribute to an understanding and insight in how a society is constructed. Women’s

motivations and goals can be seen as a reflection of the society they live in, an understanding

of these is a vital factor to bring about positive changes for women and the society. By

understanding why women choose to go to school and how this affects them, the positive

effects may be supported and reinforced.

The aim is also to widen the research on this area, higher education for women, which has

not been given the same attention as primary education for women. This research can

contribute to previous research on women’s motivations, verify earlier results or demonstrate

other aspects of motivations.

3

3. Research questions

What motivates women to go to secondary school and what are their goals with their

education? Are their motivations connected to empowerment?

4. Previous research

Rosaevelia Aldaco conducted a study on Latina women in the United States and their main

motivations when accomplishing a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Their main motivation was

their parents’ support. The study showed that the parents’ support led them to seek higher

education, and that their families functioned as the principal motivation for attaining higher

education. The family’s support was seen as a central factor for their success (Aldaco, 2010,

p. 25-26).

Lyndsay Bunter’s case study in Kerala, India, examined students pursuing a master’s degree

and showed that higher education was a step towards getting a white-collar job. Women were

motivated by having an income and a stable employment, which would make consumerism

possible and increase their status. This in turn led to advantages in the marriage market, and

the women believed that their high education would attract highly educated men. The women

saw high education as a way of lowering the dowry that their families would pay when they

married. The family had influence on the women’s decision to study. The women felt that the

family supported them, but also that it was a necessity for them to study. The family played a

central role in their decision to study. Independence and financial stability also functioned as

motivating factors. A career was perceived as a way to achieve financial freedom from their

relatives (Bunter, 2005, p. 15- 22).

Yingning Wang’s research in the United States examines the educational gap between

blacks and whites using data from i.e. surveys and the national census. He examined high

school students, and shows that higher wages and better opportunities for marrying a well-

educated partner motivate women in their educational attainment (Wang, 2009, p. 1-17).

Angela D. Coker’s qualitative research “African American female adult learners:

motivations, challenges, and coping strategies” examines women’s motivations with their

education. Ten women between 21 and 52 years old were included in the research. Her results

show that their main motivations were connected to development: self-development, family

development and community development. Self-development was a primary motivating factor

with their higher education. Education was perceived as a means to achieve empowerment

and personal change. Their goal was to develop critical thinking and reach their highest

4

potential. Education was seen as a means to enhance their opportunities to get a job and to

strengthen their self-definition. Financial stability was also an important factor. Family

development was another central aspect of motivation. The women in the study believed and

hoped that their personal development would lead to improvements for the whole family.

They also wanted to be role models for their children, and fulfill their families’ expectations.

The women wanted to make higher education a tradition in their families, many of them were

the first generation that attained college. The women were motivated by the idea that they

could affect the society, they regarded themselves as leaders of the community. They

identified themselves with the community and their actions to attain higher education were

perceived as political. They wanted to state that African American individuals could achieve

higher education (Coker, 2003, p. 654-674).

In conclusion, previous research show that the parent’s support, influence and will play an

important role in motivating women to pursue higher education. To have an income and stable

employment functioned as motivating factors, as well as being independent and having

financial freedom. In the case of Kerala, marrying a well-educated man and lowering the

dowry pay were motivating factors. Personal, family and community development were also

factors that motivated women to study.

The cultural environment can have effect on what types of factors that motivate women in

pursuing higher education. In Kerala there is a greater focus on marriage although this theme

is repeated in Wang’s research. Independence and a stable income are two reoccurring

themes. The studies also focus on different levels of education, from high school students to

adult learners. The adult learners show a more developed reasoning around how education

affects development, both personal and community development.

This study examines women’s motivations regarding their education, which is similar to the

previous presented research. The previous research, that I have been able to find, examines

women on high school, Bachelor and Master level and has been conducted in the United

States and India. All of the studies have used a qualitative approach with few respondents,

except Wang’s research which uses quantitative data from different sources. This research

focuses on women in secondary school, similar to high school and Bachelor level and was

conducted in Tanzania. I am using empowerment and Maslow’s needs hierarchy as a

theoretical framework.

5

5. Theory

This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section explains and examines Maslow’s

needs hierarchy and the second section looks at empowerment.

5.1 Maslow

Abraham Maslow’s theory of human motivation will be used to examine the women’s

motivations. Their answers will be connected to the needs hierarchy. In Maslow’s theory, all

humans are motivated by needs and these needs can be seen as a hierarchy. These needs are

connected, and to be able to satisfy one need, the previous need has to be satisfied first. When

the primary needs are satisfied, other “higher” needs become motivating. The motivations can

be seen as goals, which the human is motivated to achieve. The motivations therefore affect

human behavior (Maslow, 1943, p. 370-396).

The needs are connected to each other and most individuals are partly satisfied in their

needs. The human is dominated by unsatisfied needs. The possibility to fulfill these basic

needs is dependent on the freedom to speak, justice, fairness etc. The needs are also culturally

determined, a person borne into slavery do not know what freedom is and might not strive for

it (Maslow, 1943, p. 370-396). The four first levels are called deficiency needs, because they

motivate us until we have satisfied them and then they cease until we are motivated by

deprivation again. To satisfy them the human are motivated to act. The fifth level is called the

being-needs, we are motivated to achieve these needs without being driven by deprivation.

The higher needs include curiosity drive and esthetic motivation (Neher, 1991, p. 90-92).The

human needs are categorized accordingly:

The Basic Needs:

1. Physiological needs: These needs can be seen as the major motivation for humans.

The human being would not be able to function without these needs which include

hunger, thirst, sex and sleep. These needs are seen as fundamental to survive and for a

human who is missing everything in life, these needs would be the most motivating

(Maslow, 1943, p. 372-376).

2. Safety needs: A safe and well-functioning society is a central aspect of the safety

needs. A society which can protect the individual from criminals, extreme weather and

tyranny. It also includes having a job and a safety net. Knowledge and experience play

a vital role by abolishing ignorance. Religion can also be a way of seeking safety. The

6

safety need dominates in situations of war and emergencies (Maslow, 1943, p. 376-

380).

3. Love needs: If the previous needs are fairly satisfied, the need for love and

belongingness will appear. The need includes social relationships, friendship and

affection. The goal becomes achieving love, which include both receiving and giving

affection (Maslow, 1943, p. 380-381).

4. Esteem needs: These needs include evaluating oneself to feel self-respect and esteem.

One part of this includes the desire for achievement, independence, freedom, strength

and confidence. The other part includes the desire to have respect from others and

status in the society. Appreciation and recognition from others is important. If these

needs are satisfied it results in feeling of usefulness, self-confidence and strength

(Maslow, 1943, p.381-382).

5. Self-actualization needs: If all the previous needs are satisfied, the need for self-

actualization will develop. It is the desire for self-fulfillment and to become everything

that one can be. It includes using one’s full potential. The goal varies between

individuals, it can be to be a perfect father, dancer or athlete. Maslow states that in any

person who has a creative capacity, the self-actualization need will take this form

(Maslow, 1943, p. 382-383).

Koltko-Riviera describes Maslow’s needs hierarchy with six levels. He has developed

Maslow’s theory according to Maslow’s journals and thoughts:

1. Physiological survival needs: Pursues to attain the basic necessities in life.

2. Safety needs: One seeks safety through law and order.

3. Belongingness and love needs: Strives to achieve belonging with a group.

4. Esteem needs: Strives to achieve esteem through achievement or recognition.

5. Self-actualization: Strives to reach one’s full potential.

6. Self-transcendence: Seeks causes beyond one-self and unity through i.e. peak

experiences.

(Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 302-303)

The sixth level includes striving to achieve ideals, helping others and working for certain

causes such as social justice. One seeks not only to benefit oneself, but to benefit others. It

also includes seeking to feel an identity beyond one-self through i.e. through experiences with

nature or mystical experiences (Koltko-Riviera, 2006, p. 302-217).

7

Chulef, Read and Walsh examines human goals through empirical studies and confirms

Maslow’s theory of motivation, considering several aspects. The physiological or biological

needs are similar to the study’s sexual and physical goals, the safety and security needs are

similar to the needs of stability, safety, security and avoidance of negative situations. Their

interpersonal goals, which include friendship, receiving from others and belongingness are

similar to Maslow’s affiliation needs, and their educational, intellectual and creativity goals

are related to the esteem needs. The interpersonal goals, related to personal growth and self-

determination is connected to the self-actualization needs, and the goals of “finding a higher

meaning” can be linked to the self-transcendence step (Chulef, Read and Walsh, 2001, p.

224).

In this study Maslow’s hierarchy of needs will be described and used with six steps. The

sixth step, transcendence, was part of Maslow’s thoughts, but he was not able to develop and

integrate it in the needs hierarchy before his death. The last step complements his theory.

5.2 Empowerment

Besides using Maslow’s theory of motivation, the concept of empowerment through

education is used. Amartya Sen’s book Development as freedom and his ideas that women are

empowered through education will function as a broad and overall theoretical framework and

demarcation. Sen develops his thoughts about how women are strengthened through

education and how this leads to decreased birth rates which increase young women’s

wellbeing (Amartya Sen, 2002, p. 208-209). Education increases the opportunities for control

and can therefore be seen as empowering (Tengland, 2008, p. 86).

Empowerment is a concept that is used frequently in development work (Rowland, 2008, p.

77). Research has found that empowerment can be used as a strategy that can lead to

improvements in poverty reduction and community health (Hennink et al., 2012, p. 203).

Empowerment can have different meanings in different cultures and context, and its

applicability may vary. The term is used in development work, and created in a Western

context. Here the term will be used in a Tanzanian context, empowerment can therefore be

perceived in differing ways by different actors. I have chosen to use empowerment due to its

position in development work, and the positive implications it can have for both individuals

and societies.

Concepts of empowerment will function as the theoretical framework. There are different

definitions and concepts of empowerment. Autonomy and empowerment are concepts that are

8

similar to each other and used in comparable ways. Different definitions of these concepts are

explained in the section that follows.

Jejeebhoy uses the concept autonomy and defines it as having control over one’s own life. It

means being able to affect decisions that have influence on one’s life. She uses the definition:

“the ability . . . to obtain information and use it as the basis for making decisions about one’s

private concerns and those of one’s intimate” (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 7). She argues that

education can increase women’s autonomy in developing countries. This in turn affects

fertility behaviors. She discusses five aspects of autonomy that are affected by education:

Knowledge autonomy: Education increases women’s awareness of the world and different

ways of living which affects their opportunities and willingness to question authorities.

Values and attitudes are affected by education and women’s increased knowledge improves

their self-reliance and they are therefore more confident to question the established order

(Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 37-41).

Economic and social autonomy, and self-reliance: Women’s economic independence

increases with education which affects their social status and acceptance. They get more

control over economic resources and rely more on themselves rather than on others. Women’s

control over material resources increases. They are also more likely to rely on their own

incomes and savings when getting older. Education increases women’s participation in the

wage-sector which gives them an independent income (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 50-53).

Decision-making autonomy: Women’s voice and participation in decision-making processes

increases through education, both in questions regarding their own well-being and in family

questions. She is more confident to take part in decisions, which include taking decisions

about the size of the family, expenditures and contraception (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 41-45).

Emotional autonomy: The family dynamics can change as a cause of women’s education.

Education increases women’s self-worth and there is a greater intimacy and equal relationship

between spouses. Women’s loyalties shift to the marital relationship and towards the children

rather than to relatives. Their independence from the extended family increases. (Jejeebhoy,

1995, p. 47-49).

9

Physical autonomy: Education can affect women’s physical autonomy in two ways, due to

their knowledge about other societies and of the world. First, their freedom of movement

increases as a result of their contact with the outside world. Second, educated women are

expected to use available services in a greater extent, due to their self-confidence. Educated

women are more likely to demand their rights and more confident to communicate with

officials and service-providers (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 45-47).

Jejeebhoy presents these aspects of autonomy and states that the literature supports the

linkages between education and autonomy. Factors such as gender stratification and

patriarchal structures also have an effect on women’s autonomy and can therefore limit the

impacts of education. The length of the education also affects the impacts of autonomy, and

relatively high levels of education often have the most impact (Jejeebhoy 1995, p. 36-53).

Jejeebhoy uses the concept autonomy, which is similar to empowerment. The definitions of

empowerment will be examined and compared with autonomy.

Empowerment is strongly connected to power and being included in the decision-making

process. People should be able to have access to political structures and formal decision-

making. Having an income enables economic decisions. Empowerment also means being able

to see one’s potential and developing a confidence. Liberation from negative social

constructions and oppression is a part of this. One should also be able to influence close

relationships and involved in political structures and together be able to affect the society.

Empowerment means being able to affect your situation by understanding it.

McWhirter (1991) defines empowerment as a process which involves powerless people,

groups or organizations who get insight in the power relations that affect their life. To get

control over their lives they develop abilities and then utilize this control in their own life with

respect for others rights. In a last step they help others to achieve empowerment. This can be

called a situation of empowerment, if only a few steps are fulfilled it is referred to as an

empowering situation.

Keller and Mbwewe (1991) define empowerment as when women are able to challenge

their subordination. This occurs through a process where women increase their self-reliance

when they develop skills to organize themselves to take independent decisions and take

control over resources (Rowland, 2013, p.101-107).

10

Empowerment can be seen as a goal where one’s ability to control one’s life increases. This

includes control over one’s income and work, home, leisure, values, health and close

relations. It means being able to decide and having opportunity to change and influence these

aspects through for example communication or political actions such as voting. Autonomy is

a central aspect of empowerment. Autonomy means to be able to reflect critically and choose

one’s values and wishes. Autonomy increases the ability to control one’s life. Knowledge and

consciousness is another part of empowerment. To be aware of one’s situation and knowing

one’s rights is empowering, as well as learning skills to know how i.e. to fill in forms to lend

money from the bank. Self-knowledge is also a part of this, to be aware of one’s strengths and

weaknesses can help to develop as a person. Self-esteem, how one values one as an

individual, and self-confidence, the beliefs about one’s capacity to handle situations are other

aspects of empowerment. These aspects can increase a person’s ability to control one’s life.

Freedom is another aspect of empowerment, it can be defined as having opportunities in life,

to get a job etc. to gain more control over one’s life.

To reach the goal of empowerment, an increase in the knowledge aspects, health aspects

(autonomy, self-confidence etc.) or the freedom aspect described above have to occur, so that

a person gain more control over her life. Control is the central aspect of empowerment in this

definition (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90).

Empowerment can be defined as when persons, societies etc. obtain control over questions

that is of most concern for them (Kar, Pascual and Chickering, 1999, p. 3). Kishor (1997)

defines female education as a source of empowerment, where empowerment is defined as

control. Control defined as “the ability to ´access information, take decisions, and act in their

own interest, or the interest of those who depend on them (p.1)” (Sisask, 2001. p. 35-36).

Researchers for USAID examined how rural women in Nepal understood the concept of

empowerment. The women defined empowerment as:

- Understanding issues, having knowledge and being literate.

- Making decisions, standing on your own legs, having a job and being able to support

yourself.

- Having the ability to help and teach others.

- Having confidence, being able to speak in public surroundings.

- To be able to take distance from domination, especially from men.

- Having good relationships with others and being a leader.

11

- To be able to move freely.

(USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14)

Hashemi, Schuler and Riley (1996) developed empirical indicators for empowerment when

examining women in Bangladesh and their participation in rural development programs and

credit banks. Their definition of empowerment includes:

- Having political and legal awareness.

- Being involved in major decisions with husband.

- Having mobility to be social and doing business.

- Being able to do purchases.

- Being able to participate in political campaigns and protests.

- Being relatively free from domination from the family.

- Having economic security (owning, savings and cash).

(Hashemi et al. 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 14-15)

The literature states that education is a way of empowering women, and the question is

whether they are motivated by empowerment or not. Several definitions of empowerment and

autonomy have been presented in this essay. The definitions are connected to each other and

several similarities can be found. In this essay a definition will be created based on the

presented definitions.

5.2.1 Empowerment, as defined in this essay

A core meaning of empowerment is control (Kar, Pascual and Chickering, 1999, p. 3).

Control is strongly connected to the ability to take own decisions and act in one’s own

interest, and in your children’s interest (Sisask, 2001. p. 35-36). Decision-making is a central

aspect of empowerment, being able to have access to information and knowledge to take own

decisions (Rowland, 2013, p.101-107). Knowledge contributes to autonomy by providing

information which increases awareness and affects the ability and willingness to question

authorities and going your own way (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 37-41). Knowledge and awareness is

central parts of being able to influence your situation. Empowerment also includes a sense of

self-worth, feeling valuable as a person which implies taking decisions that has positive

affects for one self (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 47-49). Empowerment means having freedom of

movement and having confidence to speak in public surroundings. It also includes being able

to help others (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14). It implies self-reliance and

12

economic independence, having a job and an income (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 50-53).

Empowerment can be defined as being relatively free from domination (Hashemi et al. 1996,

see Moulton 1997, p. 14-15). Empowerment means that you are able to help yourself, but also

that you have the capability to help others and affect the society you live in (Rowland, 2013,

p.101-107). Empowerment also includes that you are able to have good relations and that you

are able to be a leader (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14).

Empowerment can be seen both as a process and a goal (Tengland, 2008, p. 92-94). In this

essay I am interested in whether the girls strive for empowerment or not, and empowerment is

therefore seen as a goal. In summary, the core meaning of empowerment that Tengland

describes, that one gains control over one’s life, is the central part of the concept

empowerment. This aspect has to be achieved through changes in some of the other presented

aspects (for example the freedom aspect) for one to say that one is striving to be empowered

(Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). For example, one’s freedom of movement increases which affects

one’s ability to take control over one’s life.

6. Method

The qualitative approach, chosen in this study, does not aim to achieve broad generalizations

but to get deeper insights in the specific situation. The goal with qualitative case-studies is to

examine how persons perceive and interpret a situation (Merriam, 1994, p. 9-10), in this case

what motivates women in their secondary education. The choice of conducting a case-study

was also dependent upon the good logistic opportunities in Babati, where Södertörn

University has developed a strong collaboration with the local community. Women’s

motivations, which is the focus in this study, can be found everywhere in the world, and

therefore Babati seemed a reasonable place to implement this research.

This study was conducted in two governmental secondary schools and one private

secondary school in Babati Town. The schools were chosen by my field assistant. The choice

was strategic since I wanted both a governmental and a private school. This is also called

purposeful sampling which aims to get both depth and breadth based on the chosen problem

formulation (Malterud, 2009, p.56-57). In this case the focus is on women in secondary

school and to get some breadth, both governmental and private schools were included. There

are costs to attain secondary school, but private schools are more expensive than

governmental schools. We visited Bagara Seconday School (governmental), Babati Day

Secondary School (governmental) and Aldersgate Secondary School (private).

13

In Tanzania secondary school is divided into ordinary level and advanced level. Ordinary

level consists of four years, from Form one to Form four. Advanced Level consists of two

years, from Form five to Form six. Secondary education has fees, both governmental and

private schools costs money although governmental schools are less expensive. Of course,

expenses increase with the education level. Students at secondary school have to afford these

expenses and if the family does not have the necessary income they are not able to send their

children to school.

6.1 Respondents and interviews

The teachers or the class mates chose what girls that should be interviewed, and because this

choice was not random I chose to have a strategic approach. Girls with different ages were

chosen for the interviews. When the teacher chose the students one can assume that they

chose students with high grades who were motivated to study. When the class mates chose

girls for the interview one can assume that they chose their friends. This has effect on the

results and when analyzing the data one has to keep this in mind. The friendship between the

girls can imply that their answers may be affected by each other, and the teacher’s choice

might imply that the most motivated girls were chosen. One has to assume that girls that were

not as motivated to study was left out of the study. Nevertheless, it is still interesting to

examine these girls’ motivations.

The intention was to have girls with different social backgrounds and economic situations,

but due to the costs that are connected to secondary school it can be assumed that most girls

have a middle class background. The results of this study, what motivates women, have

therefore to be viewed with this background. A couple of interviews were made with younger

students, but then my focus changed to older students, young women on the threshold to adult

life. It was these women I wanted to study, who were about to soon break free from the family

and create their own families. In Bagara we interviewed women in Form one to Form four, in

Babati Day we interviewed women in Form five and six and in Aldersgate we interviewed

women in Form five. The women were between thirteen and twenty years old. Twelve girls

were interviewed, seven from Bagara secondary school, two from Babati Day and three from

Aldersgate secondary school (See Respondent list for more information). Bagara was the first

school I visited and most respondents were interviewed here.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted, which balance structure and flexibility. All the

respondents were asked the same questions, but follow-up questions were added to encourage

the respondents to develop their reasoning (Gillham, 2008, p. 203). In the beginning of the

14

interviews I presented myself, my field assistant and my field work shortly and anonymity

was explained. The interviews started with some structural questions regarding age, grade etc.

The interviews focused on their motivations and goals, and direct questions about these

aspects were asked. More open questions about their dreams and their perceptions of school

were also asked. Follow-up questions were added under the interviews (See appendix A for

more detailed information). The length of the interviews varied from 10 minutes to over an

hour, depending on the respondent and her willingness to talk.

The interviews were held at the school, in the school ground. The interviews could be done

privately and individually, but the respondents who could contribute with most information

were also invited to the center Thorne Tree Hotel. Our meeting point for the field studies was

located at Thorne Tree Hotel. The respondents came by two or individually after school.

These interviews were held to continue and develop our discussions. The respondents who

were not able to come to the center were interviewed a second time at the school. The time

between the first and the second interview offered the women time for self-reflection and

contemplation. This in turn led to more developed discussions and more material for the

study.

The respondents who could contribute with most information and had developed their

thoughts around these questions became key respondents. It was these I primarily wanted to

meet a second time. I ended up with seven key respondents, four from Bagara, two from

Babati Day and one from Aldersgate.

I tried to be aware of my own culture and my own perceptions. My background in Sweden

has of course affected how I think and view life. Women and their empowerment is an

important subject for me, and I tried to have an open attitude towards the respondents and

their answers, not trying to neglect or look for certain answers.

Interpretation was needed for some of the interviews, mainly when the respondents could

not express themselves or did not feel confident speaking English. Interpretation is necessary

in some cases but can be problematic. Nuances, words and meanings of importance can be

lost in the translation. The interpreter may be unable to translate everything or feel that it is

unnecessary to translate certain parts. Notes were made during the interviews and narratives

of the interviews were written later the same day or the next day.

6.2 Material

In the theoretical chapter mostly scientific articles that have been peer reviewed have been

used. Information was gathered by searching on Google Scholar and different data bases such

15

as ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts). Jejeebhoy’s and Maslow’s material

are used as the main sources for the theoretical chapter. Maslow and Jejeebhoy were two

reoccurring names when reading relevant material for the study.

Some of the material used in the theoretical chapter is from Jeanne Moulton’s report, which

is funded by USAID among others. This report is prepared for SARA – Support for Analysis

and Research in Africa, and is a review of the research literature regarding education for girls.

This cannot be seen as a scientific source, although she uses referencing correctly and tries to

have a balanced view on the question. However the report is relevant and works as a

complement to the theoretical chapter, therefore I have chosen to use it.

6.3 Operationalization

Operationalization is a process where relevant concepts in the study are formulated in order to

be able to measure the concept. This is common in quantitative research. An operational

definition needs to have indicators that describe the concept (Bryman, 2002, p. 78-79, 82-83).

This research examines women’s motivations with their studies. The concept motivation is

defined according to Maslow who means that all humans are motivated to fulfill certain goals.

These goals can be classified as needs that the human is motivated to fulfill (Maslow, 143,

p.370-371). The girls were asked questions about what motivated them in school and what

goals they had with their education. In the analysis process, when reviewing the narratives,

the definition was used to discover motivations and according to these create categories. A

content analysis was thus made on the narratives, and categories could be distinguished

(Gillham, 2008, p. 183). These categories were analyzed and compared to Maslow’s hierarchy

of needs and empowerment.

6.4 Reliability and validity

The qualitative approach includes interpretations of humans’ emotions and feelings in a

specific social context, which makes it difficult to repeat. Social environments change and

scientists interpret situations differently. To achieve a high reliability in this study a distinct

method has to be developed as well as a clear description on how to interpret different

answers. To achieve a high validity the theories and theoretical concepts used in this study has

to conform to the empirical data. Generalizations of the results to other social contexts, which

concern external validity, are hard to achieve due to the limited amount of respondents

(Bryman, 2002, p. 257-258).

16

7. Empirical data

This chapter presents the empirical data, the interview narratives conducted with the 7 key-

respondents. Only the relevant parts of the narratives have been included. It also presents

important quotes from the other respondents. The girls were sometimes interviewed twice,

and therefore there can be two different narratives with the same girl. The names of the

respondents are fictional.

7.1 Narratives

Adina, 18 years old, 26 of February 2013

Adina’s goal with her education is to have a better life. For “me to have my own good life”.

She believes that the education will give her a job to do, and she wants to work as a doctor to

help patients. Education contributes to her social relationships, she meets other students and

learn different things about the world. “Without education you can’t do anything”. Adina

believes that you cannot come anywhere without education. She wants to go to other societies

and see other things and she perceives education as a means to accomplish that. Her parents

encourage her studies but she also says that the goal with her education is “to have my own

life”. She does not just want to stay at home, she does not want to be as other students. She

speaks about other students that has dropped out of school and become pregnant, and that is

no way of life she says. She also says that without school her life would be very bad and she

would not be able to get a good job. She tells me that she want to be married and have

children, maybe two or three, but only when school is finished and she has got her exam.

Jewel, 16 years old, 26 of February 2013

Jewel starts by telling me that school is good and that it satisfies her basic needs. Education is

good because it can give her a better life later on. She wants control over the society and in

the society. Education learns her moral, she starts by explaining that if she has a friend that

wants to steel she can talk her out of it because of her education, she knows that there are

alternatives. She explains that school tells her what is right and wrong, what to do and what

not to do. In the future she wants to have her own house and be able to educate others. She

wants to volunteer and help orphanages and street children. She also tells me that she wants to

“control myself”. She elaborates that education gives her confidence, confidence to take part

in the society. She wants to be represented in the debate and be able to talk in public.

Education gives her confidence to do that. In her class and in school people do not like to

debate in English, everybody hides when there is time for debates, but she tells me that her

17

education gives her confidence to take the debate! “I can do anything with my confidence!”

she tells me. She wants to have her own company and be a boss and manager and have

control. She wants to control her own company. After her education she maybe wants to have

two children, and later on maybe be married. She wants to live in Arusha, a major city in

northern Tanzania, where there are many cultural things like national parks. She wants a good

life.

Talah, 15 years old, 28 of February 2013

Talah likes to study and strive to be successful. She wants to be a lawyer, because in Tanzania

many people do not know their rights. She wants to educate them and the society about their

rights. School teaches language skills in English, this is of importance when you travel to be

able to communicate with people from other countries. Talah would like to travel to England

where she has friends. She wants to be a professional and have a good salary to be able to

build a house and educate her children. Education is important because of the knowledge you

receive there. It is important to have plans if the country is going to develop. “To have

development, education is important”. She also would like to be a musician because she likes

to sing gospels. In the future she would like to have a nuclear family, a mother, a father and

children. Something can go wrong if there is not a father in the house, she says. But she wants

a family only when she has finished her education, so that she can take care of her family.

Naomi, 17 years old, 28 of February 2013

Naomi is happy to go to school and learn things, especially biology. She wants to become a

lawyer and defend people’s rights and school helps her to learn about what rights people have.

She has experienced people being discriminated, and especially wants to defend and help

widows and orphanages. She explains that people do not know their rights, which is

important, so she wants to help them. Education is everything, it is not good just to stay at

home and she is motivated by learning more and more. She also wants to become an artist, a

musician, she believes that she is talented. The school arranges talents days and competitions

which motivates her to develop her talents. School also teaches her to live with different

people and to work together, this will be in handy in the rest of the society. To work with

different people gives her different ideas and views on things. Without school she would have

a bad life, school teaches her to think critically. Some subjects teach her to think and relate the

subject to real life, and help them decide what to do and what not to do. When she does

something wrong in school she gets a warning or a punishment which reminds her the next

18

day to not do the same mistake. School teaches the students not to steel, fight or provoke and

to listen to the teachers. If she did not go to school she would not know right from wrong. She

has seen many girls that do not go to school, and they do not know right and wrong. She is

happy to be in school.

Naomi again, 2 of March 2013

“My family believes that education is everything to me” she says. ”Education is key of life”

and life would be hard without education. She wants to be able to control poverty. Naomi

wants to educate parents about HIV and other diseases that are deadly and can make children

orphanages. She explains that widows and orphanages do not have access to education and

that they have a hard life. They have nothing, no food, nowhere to live and do not know their

rights. If the husband dies in the family, they are left with nothing. Education can help them

claim their assets by going to court. “They have to know what they deserve and don’t.”

Rose, 17 years old, 1 of March 2013

She starts by telling me that her dream is not to study here, she wants to study at a nicer

school with a better environment. A private school. She cannot develop here as she could

have done in Arusha. “We have dreams to achieve” she tells me, and education is a way of

fulfilling her dreams. She would love being a lawyer and work for equality for women and

street children. She wants to help the society and become a solicitor for a NGO. Her dream is

to work for equality, she says with emphasis.

“Africa is Africa” it is considered to be a poor continent. There are bad or no job

opportunities, corruption and robbery. It is hard to get a job even if you are studying at a high

level, students are becoming jobless. It is hard to find jobs, and although her dream is to

become a lawyer she does not think that it will be an easy journey. Instead she says that she

wants to participate in business as a plan B, it is easier to get a job in that sector. “I love being

a journalist” she also tells me. Fashion interests her and she would like to write about it. But

she emphasizes that you cannot tell your parents that you want to work with fashion, you have

to have a professional job. But she also says that “Nothing is impossible”.

She does not want to have a family. “This is a globalized world” and you have to think

twice before making decisions. “I have to achieve my dreams” first of all. Rose does not want

to depend on a family or husband and does not want to give up her dreams for a family.

“There is no true love in society” people are using each other for sex and other purposes.

They cheat and leave you and do not help you.

19

People do bad things, they deal with drugs and steal. She wants to be different, every person

is unique and she is striving for this. In school people are also doing bad things, steeling for

example. This creates challenges for her, challenges she has to face in school but also outside

in the society. It is important to learn from these experiences, because you will face them in

society too. She tells me that people come to the boarding school without knowledge on how

to wash, and that if you depend on your parents for everything, you will not achieve anything

in society.

She compares the African society with the European and tells me that they are different. In

Europe children have access to computers, free time and hobbies. Parents are able to help

their children to develop their interests and let their children develop the interests they want.

In Africa on the other hand parents emphasize education, it is a necessity! Education is

perceived as a way of developing the society. “I don’t believe that” she says confidently.

Other activities are important, to be able to develop one’s talents and interests. But, education

is important of course, to remove ignorance. Politicians, of course, need education to be able

to control the society in a good way and to take adequate decisions. Knowledge is important

in many ways. Education is good in certain ways. If you just stay at home you risk getting in

to prostitution, drug dealing or other crimes.

“My parents told me to come here, not myself.” She wants to be able to develop her talents,

and to achieve something you have to know your talents. Education is a part of this, to learn

about yourself. Dancing is her hobby “I love it, I was born to do it!” It is also a way for her to

earn money and not to be dependent on her parents for pocket money. She says that both

education and developing your talents is important.

Talent can take people a long way. She tells me about a celebrity who has her own reality

show and is an inspiration for Rose. Education is important “to remove ignorance from the

society”. But education cannot take you everywhere. “I believe in education a bit, and in my

talent so much!” she says with passion.

Rose again, 5 of March 2013

Fashion is disgusting for her parents, so she cannot tell them that it could be something that

she would like to work with. She has to have a profession. And if she only was occupied with

dancing, which she loves, her parents believe that she would be drawn into illegal activities.

She believes that it is 100 percent true that there is no love in the society, she explains that she

has experienced it herself in her family, and that her mother raised her alone. She believes

totally in dancing.

20

4 of March 2013Dunya, 19 years old,

Dunya perceives education as something good, a means of fulfilling her dreams. Her dream

has always been to be an A-level student “it’s a breach to my success”. She has always

wanted to have a good life, “I always wished to be an educated woman”. Education is

everything if you want to have a good life. Her wish is to live a comfortable life, a life where

her basic needs are satisfied, a life where she has food, shelter and clothes. It includes access

to a wide range of social services, hospitals and schools.

Her biggest dream is to be a lawyer she tells me. “My dream is to be a leader for my

society” she adds. She wants to educate others, because education is an opportunity that not

everybody gets. She wants to be a counselor for others, correcting other people so that they

take the right decisions.

She likes development, both socially and politically for both herself and the society. In

school she is taught about how she can acquire her environment in the best possible way.

School also helps her in decision making. In the future she wants to continue to University,

she has always wished to have a degree. After that she wants to take a master in international

relations and in law. International relations interests her because she wants to know more

about other countries and how they work and she also wants to visit other countries.

“I like justice” she says, and therefore she also wants to take a masters in law. It is the right

thing to help others, and she wants to specialize in women and children. Women and children

are the most discriminated and humiliated groups in the society. She explains with an

example, if a husband past away the woman are robbed. They need to have and know their

rights about inherit.

“Every child has the right to education”. Children are tortured physically and

psychologically by both their parents and others and this are something she wants to change.

“I really love to be a mother” a caring and responsible mother. She wants two children, one

boy and one girl. Her relationship should include full honesty, respect and caring. “He has to

be bright!” she says with a laugh about her future husband.

She also likes acting and films.

Her family is pleased with her education “This is how they wanted me to be”. They are a

huge motivation for her studies. “I like learning, it doesn’t matter when or where” it is a way

of progressing and developing as a person. Through learning she will conquer her dreams.

“As humans we need to acquire something, we have a purpose on earth. I need to learn and

then maybe I can use it somewhere”.

21

Fareess, 20 years old, 5 of March 2013

The school is good, she starts by telling me. They get their basic needs satisfied, they have

good teachers, enough material for writing and it is a good environment to be in. “I thank God

for bringing me here.” She prays to God that she will be able to study hard so that she can

reach her goals. She wants to educate the society about the importance of education. “Because

I understand the importance of education.” She wants to bring all children to school, without

any discrimination. Gender discrimination is widespread and girls are not sent to school in the

same extent as boys. This is something she wants to change. “Girls are seen as useless in the

society and that is not true”. Education can remove this sort of ignorance and they learn what

is good and bad in school. For example they are taught that engaging in crimes and

prostitution is wrong. They also learn about health. “Education is the one thing that can

remove us from poverty.” Education can take them from low class to middle class or high

class.

In the future she wants to be a member of the parliament, because it is a good opportunity to

educate the society. In that position she will be able to express her view in different problems.

Besides this she also wants to engage in agricultural activities. “It is everything here in life.”

It will be an opportunity for her to employ others and help young people. Unemployed people

engage in crimes, she explains. She wants to establish some kind of project in this sector so

that she will be able to help others.

She also wants to change the education system in Tanzania, because she has seen how the

system works from nursery school up to her level. They study a lot of subjects at the same

time, history, biology etc. This is not good, you cannot combine all these subjects at the same

time. People should be able to choose what they want to learn. “Many have been forced by the

society to study” even though they may not want to study. They have their own talents in

maybe football and they should be able to practice this and develop their talent. They may fail

in class in the ordinary subjects but may be a talent in something else. This does not mean that

they are not clever, just that they do not fit in the system. Therefore education in Tanzania

needs to change.

She is motivated to go to school by learning different things. In school she learns a lot,

about different diseases, how they are spread and what the symptoms are. Without coming to

school she would live in ignorance. “Education gave me from ignorance to lightness”. Her

parents do not want her to have a poor life and feel happy when they see her in school. They

22

do not want her to be like them, farmers. She tells me that her society insists that agriculture is

the backbone of their country, but no support is given to the farmers from the government.

In the future when she has reached her goals, she wants to have her own family, a nuclear

family. So that she can provide for the whole family’s needs.

Jewel and Adina again, 28 of February 2013

Jewel and Adina develop their thoughts about what a good life is for them. A good life is

when you can be happy and are satisfied with your life. “A good life is when you feel that you

have a peace of mind. “ It is when you have money, peace and love together. You cannot have

only money to feel satisfaction, you also have to have love and peace. You need money to

satisfy your basic needs. A good life is when you have an education, a job and when you are

able to control your life. “If I have money I can control my life. If you get a problem of some

kind, money can help you to solve it.” Money can help you and your family if you get in to

some problems. Without a job life will be very hard, because you are not able to have an

income.

School also helps them develop new friendship, together they can help each other to

understand things better. In school they also learn how to interact with people in the society.

They learn to show each other respect and kindness. School teaches them what is wrong, and

exemplifies with robbery. “School learns us how to love and respect.” For example if they

meet an older person, it could be their grandmother or grandfather, school has taught them to

be kind and to ask the other person if he or she wants some help.

School helps the girls to get a life of their own, they explain with much passion that a life of

your own means that nobody can interfere in your life. It means that no one can tell you what

to do and what not to do. “Nobody can tell you to do things that you don’t want to do, no one

can control you.” Control is to know what to do and what is right, and be able to do whatever

you like. Jewel tells me that she wants to be a boss, “I want to control someone, not someone

to control me” She hates being controlled she says.

We start talking about confidence, which they have talked about before. They explain that

school gives them confidence to talk with people, whether there are few or many people. They

have debates both in class, in their own school and with other schools, interschool debates.

School has given them the confidence to take part in these debates, which contributes to the

sharing of ideas. Jewel says that she would like to take part in a debate about education and

money, and argue that education is more important than money. “I am a good speaker in

school” she says. “Debates give me the confidence to talk in front of many people without

23

fear” Adina tells me. “If we go to another society we will be able to talk in front of people”.

They exemplify in several ways how confidence and the experience of talking in front of

people can help them later on in life. If they have applied for a job and are called for a job

interview they will be well prepared for the situation. Confidence is an important factor to get

a job.

The girls want to be married after school, they tell me that it is not allowed to be married

when you still are in school. They also explain that after school they will have a better

understanding of right and wrong. After school they will also be mature enough to take that

decision. First they want to go to advanced level in secondary school. Adina says that she

wants a partner who is well-educated like herself and who has a job, so he can take care of the

family. Jewel wants a man who encourages her, gives her advice and has his own business.

7.2 Quotes and short stories from the other respondents

Susannah, 13 years old, tells me that she likes to learn and that she wants to be an anti-

corrupter. She explains that corruption is a dominate situation in Tanzania and that she has

seen it herself in hospitals. People who have no money do not get medical care. She wants to

help people in this situation. She is the firstborn and feels like she should help her family to

have a good life (28 of February 2013).

School makes Kanza, 14 years old, understand many things, in school they learn about the

environment and the earth. After her studies she wants to have a family, “a good and better

family”, a man who has his own education. “I want to get education to achieve my dreams”

(28 of February 2013).

Leah, 20 years old, tells me that she likes learning and that she wants to educate the society.

“Some don’t have any education.” Her education is important so that she can make her dream

come true. (4 of March 2013)

Eden, 18 years old, wants to have education to know how to conduct her life. Her dream is

not to be rich, only to live a normal life where her basic needs are fulfilled (4 of March

2013).

Afia, 18 years old, tells me that she wants to develop so that she can have a job as a lawyer

(28 of February 2013).

24

8. Analysis

The analysis is structured into four sections. The first section presents the identified

motivations in categorizes. The second section analyzes and connects the presented

motivations to Maslow’s needs hierarchy. The third section analyzes the presented

motivations connected to empowerment. The fourth and last section discusses and analyzes

both sections in relation to each other.

8.1 Motivations

The interviews with the respondents brought forth 16 different types of motivations which

could be categorized accordingly: Having a job/income, Responsibility towards family,

Parents will/motivation, Understanding and learning, Social relations, Helping others,

Affecting the society / Development of society, Strives for a better life, Having an own life,

Control, Confidence, Creative dreams, Partner with education, Providing for future family,

Achieving dreams, and self-development. Here after, the categories is explained more fully.

In the explanations it is not detailed exactly how many girls that were motivated by one

category. Instead expressions as “few”, “some”, “several” and “many” are used, this is due to

the limited amount of respondents.

- Having a job/income: The dream of having a job and income was a primary

motivation for the girls. Several of the girls had goals of becoming lawyers. An

income was seen as a condition for achieving the goal of having a family, so they

could provide for the family. Having a job and income was also seen as a condition for

being able to satisfy one’s basic needs and not being dependent on anyone else. Rose

was the most pessimistic about the future and was not sure that she would be able to

get a job, despite her high education. She did not want to have a family or husband

either, she wanted to be able to provide for herself.

- Responsibility towards the family: Several of the girls mentioned and spoke about

how they wanted to help their families after their studies. Their parents and families

had given them important support during their studies, which they wanted to return.

Some of them also felt responsibility towards their families, some of them were the

first born and felt that they should provide for their families.

- Parent’s will/motivation: Some of the girls explained how education is perceived as

a necessity by the society and by their families, and that they felt forced to attain

25

higher education. Several of the girls also talked about how proud their parents were

of them and that their parents supported their studies.

- Understanding and learning: The girls perceived education as a way of

understanding the society, learning more and being able to take adequate decisions.

They got knowledge about diseases and their symptoms. This motivated them, being

able to understand and take good decisions for themselves. They were motivated by

learning right and wrong, and exemplified with persons who had not gone to school.

These persons could not distinguish between right and wrong. School abolished their

ignorance and helped them take the right decisions in life.

- Social relations: Many of the girls emphasized that their social relationships in school

was an important factor that motivated them to come to school. They explained that

they were thought how to live and interact with other people in school, something that

they would have advantage of later in life. They also talked about the importance of

friendship and how this affected them positively and made them happier.

- Helping others: Many of the girls dreamed about helping others. They were

motivated by the thought of being able to help others in the future. A connection could

also be made to their own experiences of i.e. being raised by a single mother or having

faced discrimination because of not having enough money. Several of the girls wanted

to educate others about their rights.

- Affecting the society / Development of society: Almost all of the girls wanted to

affect and change the society in some way and to some extent. Several of the girls

wanted to work for equality and justice for women and children. They also wanted to

affect the society by educating people about their rights and about right and wrong.

Their motivations were connected to what they had seen and experienced themselves

and wanted to change. Some of the girls mentioned that education was perceived as a

means to achieve development. It was a way of developing the society as a whole.

- Strives for a better life: For all of the girls, education was seen as an important factor

for having a good life. It was seen as a way to get a good job and fulfilling one’s

needs. Many of the girls perceived education as a vital component for achieving

something in life, without an education it would be hard to achieve something. Dunya

spoke about wanting a life where her basic needs were satisfied, to have access to

medical care and education and having clothes, food and a home.

- Own life: The girls were motivated by the dream of having their own life, and

education was interpreted as a way of achieving this. Control is a central aspect of this,

26

to have control over one’s own life and take independent decisions. They wanted to

break loose from the family and society and decide their own path.

- Control: This category is similar to the previous one, of having an own life. This

category is also focused on control over the society and having control over decisions

that affect one’s life. Naomi spoke about being able to control poverty.

- Confidence: Confidence was also a motivating factor, which their education

contributed with. Education gave them confidence to take part in the society and know

right from wrong. Confidence would help them in many ways in life, when they

applied for a job and were called for an interview or when they were asked to talk in

public.

- Creative dreams: Beside the professional goals that the girls had with their education,

many of them had goals regarding creative performances. They wanted to become

designers, actors, dancers etc. They explained that school supported this, by

sometimes arranging talent days. This motivated them to come to school and develop

their talents. Education also contributed to their self-knowledge and insight in their

talents. Many of them also really believed in their talents and told me that they

believed they had a gift.

- Partner with education: The girls were also motivated and dreamed about having a

well-educated partner in the future. They thought that their high education would

attract a partner with the same level of education. Some of them wanted a well-

educated partner who could help them provide for themselves and their future family,

and some of them wanted a well-educated partner who could give them advice and be

supportive.

- Providing for future family: One goal with their education was to be able to provide

for a future family. Education would help them to get a job so that they could send

their children to school and have a good life.

- Achieving dreams: Education was perceived to be a way of achieving one’s dreams,

which motivated the girls. Dunya dreamed of becoming an A-level student and

becoming a leader of the society and Faress wanted to become a member of the

parliament. Many of the girls dreamed about having a family in the future.

- Self-development: Education was perceived as something that contributed to self-

development and self-knowledge, which was a goal for the women. They wanted to

progress as persons.

27

All these categories are connected to each other, having a job and an income affects the ability

to provide for a future family. Helping others is connected to wanting to affect the society, in

the same way, strives for a better life is related to achieving one’s dreams. As shown, the

categories are intimately linked, but they are also separate. Having a job and income is not

only dependent on the dream of providing for a future family, but also on the dream of having

an own life. In the end, it was these 16 categories that I could distinguish and identify in the

interview narratives.

8.2 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

This section presents the women’s motivations according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

(Maslow, 1943, p. 370-396). As developed earlier, Maslow’s needs hierarchy can be

described with six aspects of human needs that motivate the human to act in different

directions (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 303). The presented motivations can be connected and

categorized into Maslow’s needs hierarchy accordingly:

1. Physiological needs

- All of the girls seemed to have these needs satisfied, although these needs sometimes

were included in their strives for a better life. Dunya spoke about having a life where

all her basic needs were satisfied and Eden wanted to live a normal life where her

basic needs were satisfied. One of Dunya’s goals was to have a life where she had

food, clothes and shelter. Having food and water are physiological needs (Maslow,

1943, p. 372-375). This need was described together with other goals and was not a

dominating need, but some of the girls spoke about satisfying their basic needs.

2. Safety needs

- Having a job/income can be labeled a safety need. Several of the girls aimed to

become lawyers, they wanted to educate the society and help others. This could be

connected to ambitions of creating a safe and well-functioning society, free from

assault, murder, criminals etc. (Maslow, 1943, p. 379). Having an income generates

safety through the ability to provide for one’s basic needs, having medical care etc.

- Strives for a better life, includes the need of having a job and being able to have access

to i.e. medical care, and can be seen as a safety need (Maslow, 1943, p. 379).

28

3. Love needs

- The women were motivated by the social relationships and friendship they had

developed in school. This can be classified as a need for love and affection (Maslow,

1943, p. 381).

- Their responsibility towards their families, was both dependent on love and affection,

and on recognition and respect. They wanted to help their families because of love and

affection for the family’s support, which can be classified as love needs (Maslow,

1943, p. 381).

- Their parents will and support motivated the girls in their education, this can be seen

as both an esteem need and a love need. Their families made them feel loved and

belongingness, which is a love need (Maslow, 1943, p. 380).

4. Esteem needs

- A factor for their motivation was their parents will and support. Their parents gave

them appreciation and recognition for their decision to go to school, which can be

classified as an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p. 382).

- As with the previous aspect, their responsibility towards the family functioned as a

motivating factor. They felt that they had to help their families, to get respect and

appreciation, which is an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p. 382).

- Achieving control was an important factor and can be classified as an esteem need. It

is connected to having independence and freedom which is and esteem need (Maslow,

1943, p. 381), and being able to take own decisions.

- Confidence is an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p. 381), to be able to rely on oneself

and doing the things that one wants.

- Having an own life can also be categorized here, it includes aims for freedom and

independence which is an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p. 381)

- Understanding and learning includes learning more about one self and the society to

take good and balanced decisions. This is part of self-development, which is an esteem

need (Maslow, 1943, p. 381).

- Self-development is an esteem need, to have self-esteem and self-respect (Maslow,

1943, p. 381).

- Having a partner with an education can be seen as an esteem need, where the need for

status in the society is being satisfied. It could also be seen as a safety need, whereas

the man is able to provide for the family, but in this case the women were mostly

29

motivated by being able to provide for themselves. Instead it appeared as they wanted

a well-educated partner to satisfy their needs for intelligent conversation and to get

respect from others, which is an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p. 382).

5. Self-actualization needs

- The girls’ dreams of having a creative occupation can be seen as a self-actualization

need, to fulfill one’s dreams and achieve one’s full potential. Dreams that include

becoming everything that one can be (Maslow, 1943, p. 382-283).

- Achieving dreams is also a self-actualization need, where one is motivated by reaching

one’s fullest potential (Maslow, 1943, p. 382-383). The women had various dreams of

becoming leaders, dancers and having a family.

6. Self-transcendence needs

- Helping others can be seen as a self-transcendence need (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p.303),

when one’s own needs are fulfilled, one’s perspective changes to others.

- When fulfilling previous needs, the women started focusing on affecting the society,

which also can be seen as a self-transcendence need. To focus on others and being

willing to change the society to the better can be classified as self-transcendence

needs. It includes devotion for certain causes and ideals such as social justice (Koltko-

Rivera, 2006, p. 303).

8.2.1 Analysis Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

This classification was developed according to the description of the needs hierarchy

(Maslow, 1943, p. 370-396) (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 302-317). Some categories could

sometimes be connected to more than one category i.e. their responsibility towards their

families which was both connected to the love needs and esteem needs (Maslow, 1943, p.

380-382). The esteem needs were the primary motivations for the women when attaining

secondary school. Most of the women’s motivations could be classified as esteem needs. A

couple of motivations could be categorized as safety needs, love needs, self-actualization

needs and self-transcendence needs. One motivation could be connected to their physiological

needs.

This is of course seen from a quantitative perspective. It has been shown under which needs

that most motivations could be classified, but what about a qualitative perspective. What

motivations were primary motivating factors for the women themselves? As shown through

30

the narratives, opportunities for a job and an income were primary motivations, as well as

having an own life and being able to take own decisions. These were two aspects that the

women often highlighted and talked about principally. Having a job and income is a safety

need, while having an own life and taking own decisions is an esteem need (Maslow, 1943, p.

376-382).

So what does this mean? One could interpret it as that many of the women’s basic needs for

survival were satisfied and that they were motivated by accomplishing more and developing,

and reaching the higher steps of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Their physiological needs were

of course motivating when they were unsatisfied (Maslow, 1943, p. 375), but mostly these

needs seem to be satisfied. The women were also motivated by the lower steps of Maslow’s

needs hierarchy, the love needs and the safety needs. They were also motivated by the higher

steps of the hierarchy, the self-actualization needs and self-transcendence needs, and aimed to

achieve their dreams and being able to affect the society. Education was perceived as a way of

accomplishing and fulfilling their needs.

Maslow describes it as when one need of the hierarchy is fulfilled the human will strive to

fulfill “higher” needs. The lower needs of the hierarchy can emerge again when they are

unsatisfied but once they are satisfied other factors become motivating (Maslow, 1943, p.

375). One can interpret it as the women’s lower needs are partly satisfied, but that these needs

still are motivating to some degree and that they mainly strive to fulfill their esteem needs. As

discussed earlier, in a qualitative perspective, the two primary and most important motivations

seemed to be the goal of having a job and income together with the goal of having an own

life. These can be classified as safety needs and esteem needs.

One could view Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a development ladder to some degree.

Where the lower steps is connected to being able to survive and being safe from torture,

extreme weather etc., the middle steps are connected to being loved and appreciated by

oneself and others, and the higher steps are connected to affecting the society and fulfilling

one’s dreams.

The human’s motivations could be seen as a reflection and interpretation of the society they

live in. This qualitative study with few respondents cannot draw such wide conclusions, but

the women’s motivations can be seen as a reflection of their own standard of life and how

they perceive it. One can then say that the women have many of their needs for survival

satisfied, and that they primarily are motivated by their esteem needs, to increase their self-

esteem and confidence. They are also motivated by their safety needs, to have a stable income

and a job. Their motivations are also connected to the higher needs of affecting the society

31

and helping others. They perceive themselves as capable as changing themselves and the

society for the better. As a conclusion, one can say that their motivations mostly can be

classified in the middle and higher steps of the hierarchy. This discussion will be developed in

the concluding analysis.

8.3 Empowerment

This section will analyze if and how the women’s motivations can be connected to

empowerment. The categories have been compared to the definition of empowerment,

presented earlier. The core-meaning in the definition of empowerment is gaining control over

one’s life through changes in for example the freedom aspect (Tengland, 2008, p. 90). The

categories will be reviewed one by one, and afterwards a concluding analysis will be made for

this section.

Motivations that cannot be connected to empowerment

Responsibility towards the family: This factor cannot be connected to empowerment and

increased control over one’s life, which is a core meaning of empowerment (Tengland, 2008,

p. 90).

Parent’s will/motivation: This factor cannot be connected to empowerment and increased

control either.

Partner with education: Their motivations of having a well-educated partner cannot be

connected to aspirations for empowerment.

Social relations: To have good relations is an aspect of being empowered, but cannot in itself

be seen as a goal to be empowered. The girls were motivated by having good relations, but

this was not connected to having control over their own life. Previous research includes this in

the definition of empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14), but having

good relations is only one part of the definition used in this essay.

Motivations that can be connected to empowerment

Providing for future family: Their education was connected to being able to get an income

so that they could take care of their future family. This can be linked to empowerment, being

in control over one’s life and being able to take care of one’s family economically (Sisask,

2001. p. 35-36).

32

Understanding and learning: This aspect can be seen as a way of gaining empowerment, by

learning and understanding. This would in turn lead to better decision-making and more

control over their lives (Rowland, 2013, p.101-107).

Having a job/income: It was motivating for the women, to have a job and income to be able

to provide for themselves and their families. It was a way of having economic independence

and having control over their lives, which can be seen as way of achieving empowerment. A

job and income can increase a person’s ability to control her life, through increased autonomy

and freedom (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 50-53). Having a job and income was something all of the

women strived for.

Helping others, Affecting the society / Development of society: The women strived to

affect the society which can be seen as a part of empowerment. They wanted to help others

when they had helped themselves and their own families. It can be interpreted as when they

were able to help themselves and affect their own lives, they wanted to help others and affect

the society. This can be connected strives for empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see

Moulton 1997, p. 13-14).

Strives for a better life, Achieving dreams: Education was perceived as a way of getting the

right potential to achieve a better life, this can be related to getting empowered, getting

control and being able to change one’s life to the better (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). Some of

the girls wanted to become leaders, which has been emphasized in previous research as a part

of empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14).

Own life, Control: The women strived to have their own life and being in control, which is

the core meaning of being empowered (Kar, Pascual and Chickering, 1999, p. 3).

Confidence: The women saw school as a factor for their increased confidence, this in turn

would led them to take better decisions and being in control of their own lives. Gaining

confidence is gaining empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14).

Self-development: Education was perceived as something that contributes to self-

development and self-learning, which would lead to better decision making in their own lives.

This can be seen as a step towards empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p.

13-14).

Creative dreams: The women wanted to put time and effort on their creative dreams, this

motivated them and was a goal of theirs. This was their dream and something they wanted to

accomplish, even though their parents did not approve of it all the time. This can also be seen

as strives towards empowerment, being able to take own decisions and having control over

what to do and achieve in life (Rowland, 2013, p.101-107).

33

8.3.3 Analysis Empowerment

Several of the women’s motivations can be connected to empowerment, and can be seen as

ways to achieve empowerment. Having an income and learning are to ways to get control

over one’s life, these aspects can be seen as aspirations to achieve empowerment whether they

are conscious or not. The motivation that most strongly can be connected to empowerment is

control (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). The girls talked about how control over their own lives

was a central factor for why they chose to study.

Several of the women’s motivations could be connected to empowerment, but not all. One

could say that empowerment was a central aspect and motivating factor for the women’s

choice to attain school. The word empowerment was not mentioned in itself, but the core

meaning of the women’s goals and motivations can be connected to aspirations for

empowerment.

What does this tell us then, they did not use empowerment explicitly, but their motivations

can be connected to empowerment. This can be assumed to show that education does not only

increase women’s empowerment, but that empowerment is desirable and that the women are

motivated by achieving it. Some of their motivations were connected to the family, the

family’s will and the responsibility towards the family, which cannot be connected to

empowerment. Empowerment can be seen as a vital aspect for the women’s educational

attainment, but their responsibility towards their families and other aspects were also

motivating. Overall, their goals can be linked to empowerment, and can be seen as something

that the women strived to achieve. Empowerment can be interpreted as a vital aspect that

motivated the women in their studies, and as something crucial for their educational success.

We can use this information to reinforce women’s motivations. An understanding of these

women’s motivations can help us motivate other women in their studies.

8.4 Concluding Analysis

First of all, it can be said that the age of the respondents had an impact on how they chose to

answer the interview questions. The key respondents, the older girls, were between 16 and 20

years old. These girls were able to develop their thoughts and reasoning, while the younger

girls that were interviewed in the beginning were less willing and able to develop their

thoughts. These girls were between 13 and 14 years old. An increasing age corresponded with

a more developed reasoning. It also became obvious to me that the younger girls were more

dependent on their parents, they were between childhood and teenage. This also affected their

answers, they did not say as much as the other respondents, and their answers were more

34

connected to the family and their families decision to send them to school than to their own

will and empowerment.

As explained in the method chapter, both governmental schools and private schools require

fees, although private schools have higher fees. I interviewed three girls from the private

school and nine girls from the governmental schools. Not any huge differences could be found

in the girls motivations in comparison between the private school and the governmental

schools.

The women were motivated in their education by several factors that in many aspects are

connected, as developed earlier. These factors confirm earlier studies on the subject, but also

shed light on other factors that motivate women in their education. In previous research

women’s motivations have been examined on different educational levels and in different

countries and the women have had different social backgrounds. Women with various age, in

different countries and with different backgrounds are driven and motivated by similar factors

but also by differing factors. The parents’ support was emphasized in Aldaco’s and Bunter’s

study, and has been verified in this study. Bunter’s and Wang’s studies showed that having a

stable income and marrying a well-educated partner were motivating factors, which also has

been emphasized in this research (Bunter, 2005, p. 15- 22) (Aldaco, 2010, p. 25-26) (Wang,

2009, p. 1-17). This study has highlighted self-development and opportunities to affect the

society as motivating factors, which also was stressed in Coker’s study. The women’s

willingness to affect the society and change it, could often be connected to their own

experience of i.e. discrimination. Personal change and improvements for the family motivated

women both in Coker’s study and this study. Her study also showed that the women perceived

themselves as leaders of the community, which was a goal for some of the women in this

study as well (Coker, 2003, p. 654-674)

Unlike previous research this study has emphasized control and confidence as motivating

factors. The women were motivated to achieve control over their own lives and in the society,

they were also motivated to achieve confidence which would benefit them later on in life.

Their social relationships also functioned as a motivating factor in school as well as the dream

of being able to develop their creative talents. Almost all of the girls talked about their talents

in for example dancing and singing. They talked about these activities with much passion,

emphasis and belief. They believed that they someday would be able to put more effort and

time on these activities, and that they would be successful in these areas.

The women were motivated by several factors that can be connected empowerment. The

women were motivated by i.e. achieving control, having an income, developing a confidence

35

and affecting the society, which all can be linked to empowerment (Rowland, 2013, p.101-

107) (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). Sen argues that women are strengthened by education and

that their well-being increases (Amartya Sen, 2002, p. 208-209), this study has shown that

empowerment also is a central aspect of women’s motivations. Jejeebhoy means that

education increases women’s confidence, which makes them more likely to demand their

rights (Jejeebhoy, 1995, p. 45-47), women in this study were also motivated by achieving

confidence.

On the other hand the family and their will and perceptions also seemed to play an

important role as a motivating factor. The women seemed to strive for empowerment, but

were also dependent on their families’ approval to a certain degree. Although empowerment

and independence were core factors for their educational attainment, their dependence on their

parents’ appreciation and approval also functioned as core motivations. This aspect can be

classified as love needs and esteem needs (Maslow, 1943, p. 380-381) and be placed in the

middle of the stairs.

The women’s motivations were primarily connected to the middle and higher steps of

Maslow’s needs hierarchy. Empowerment can strongly be connected to the higher steps of

Maslow’s needs hierarchy. The higher steps of Maslow’s needs hierarchy includes developing

confidence, independence and achieving a greater freedom, which all can be connected to

increased control and being empowered (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). The higher steps of

Maslow’s hierarchy also includes being able to help others and affecting the society which are

linked to empowerment (USAID/Nepal 1996, see Moulton 1997, p. 13-14).When striving to

reach the higher steps of Maslow’s hierarchy, one can say that one is striving for

empowerment. When reaching the higher steps of the hierarchy, self-esteem and self-

actualization one can say that one is being empowered through increased control over one’s

life (Tengland, 2008, p. 77-90). If one interprets Maslow’s hierarchy of needs connected to

empowerment in this manner, empowerment becomes the ultimate goal and a vital aspect of

human lives. The women’s motivations have strong links to having control over their own

lives and being empowered. This case-study shows that empowerment is an important aspect

of the women’s motivations.

Maslow’s needs hierarchy can be seen as a development ladder. The first steps refer to

being able to survive, and the higher you climb on the ladder the more your living standard

improves. First your physiological needs are satisfied through access to food and water, then

your safety needs become realized through a job and income, thereafter your love needs are

fulfilled through friendship and belongingness with a group. When these needs are satisfied

36

the esteem needs come into focus, self-esteem and recognition and when these needs are

being pleased the needs for self-actualization and fulfilling one’s dreams occur. Then the self-

transcendence needs become motivating, helping others and affecting the society. (Maslow,

1943, p. 370-396) (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 302-303). Their motivations could be placed in

the middle and higher up in the hierarchy, which can be interpreted as that their basic needs

for survival are satisfied, while they are striving to achieve a higher living standard.

Unsatisfied needs dominate the human, but most individuals are partly satisfied in their needs

(Maslow, 1943, p. 370-396) which implies that several factors can be motivating but that one

goal are dominating, in this case the esteem needs.

From this perspective Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and empowerment could be seen as an

indicator of development. Human’s motivations and goals can be connected to their standard

of living and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs could be seen as a development ladder. This is

another perspective on development where humans’ motivations and goals come into focus.

This implies that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, empowerment and development are connected

and that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be seen as a process of empowerment and

development. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and empowerment can then be used to measure

development. This could be an alternative way of measuring development.

Women’s accomplishments affect the individual, the family and the community (Hide and

Kling, 2001, p. 364). It is important to be motivated to be able to achieve in life. Insight in

what motivates women can help educational institutions, teachers and parents in their contact

with women. An understanding of what motivates women can stimulate knowledge

acquisition and be of advantage for individual women, their families and the society as a

whole. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and empowerment can also be used as an indicator for

development and increase the understanding of humans and the societies they live in.

9. Conclusion

This research confirms earlier studies, but also contributes with new aspects of motivations

and how these are connected to Maslow’s needs hierarchy and empowerment. The aim with

this study was to answer two questions, the first was: What motivates women to go to

secondary school and what are their goals with their education? The study has shown that

the women were motivated by having a job and a stable income so that they would be able to

provide for their present and future family. Their goal was to attract a partner with an

education. They were also motivated by being independent and taking their own decisions,

37

their goal was to have their own life. Control and confidence motivated the women to achieve

their education. Education was perceived as a way to achieve their dreams and to get a better

life. The women also strived to affect the society and to make positive changes, they wanted

to help people. Beside these aspects the women were motivated by learning and

understanding, which would affect their ability to change their own lives. Social relationships

in school also functioned as a motivating factor. Their parents will and opinions played a role

for their educational attainment, but self-development was also an important motivating

factor. Being able to develop freely and developing one’s creative talents was mentioned by

almost all of the girls. The presented motivations are intertwined and linked to each other, the

goal of having their own life is of course connected to being able to support oneself and

having a job and income. As well as how being able to affect the society is linked to first

having control over one’s own life.

This research confirms earlier results about women’s motivations with education. The

parents’ will and support, self-development and opportunities to get a job are aspects that

have been brought forth in previous research. Attracting a well-educated partner has also been

highlighted in previous research, as well as developing the society. Increasing one’s status,

getting financial freedom, improving the conditions for the family and being empowered are

motivations that have been presented in previous research.

Based on the previous research, some new aspects of motivations have been highlighted in

this research. Control and confidence has been emphasized in this research as motivating

factors for women’s educational attainment. These aspects, as well as the social relations and

creative dreams that the women brought up as motivations, contribute to previous research.

Through this study previous presented motivations have broadened and more aspects have

been added and developed.

This study also used Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to review the presented motivations. The

results show that the women’s motivations primarily can be classified as esteem needs. Some

motivations could be classified as safety needs, love needs, self-actualization needs and self-

transcendence needs. Only one of the motivations could be classified as physiological needs.

This could imply that the women mostly have their physiological needs satisfied and that they

mainly are motivated by their esteem needs. The focus in their motivations was self-

development and independence which could be classified as esteem needs. Having an income

and a job were also primary motivations and could be classified as safety needs.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be viewed as a development ladder, and the women’s

motivations can be placed in the middle and higher up on the ladder. Several of their basic

38

needs for survival are satisfied, and their principal motivation and goal are self-development.

Their needs for love and safety can be seen as partly satisfied and are motivating, but the

higher needs of the hierarchy also motivate the women in their studies.

The second research question, which this study aimed to answer, was: Are their

motivations connected to empowerment? Their motivations could be connected to

ambitions to achieve empowerment, although some motivations were connected to their

families’ will and perceptions. This research implies that the women were motivated by

empowerment, and that empowerment is one important aspect for these women in their

studies.

Empowerment is also connected to the higher steps of Maslow’s needs hierarchy, which

implies a state of empowerment. Maslow’s needs hierarchy and empowerment can together be

seen as a way of measuring development. The higher one climbs on Maslow’s needs

hierarchy, the closer one gets to empowerment. Every reached level on the hierarchy implies

satisfied needs, and the more satisfied a human being gets with her needs, the closer she gets

to empowerment and being in control of her own life.

This research can be used to understand the society the women live in, motivations and

goals can be seen as reflections of the society. It could also be used to improve scholarly

systems to support women in their studies. This study has a limited scope, and generalizations

cannot be made on the basis of it. Instead it could be used together with other similar studies

to get a more overall picture of women’s motivations and their lives. My research offers an

insight in a couple of women’s motivations, living in Babati, Tanzania and can be seen as a

reflection of their lives.

Further research could focus on motivations among women in high income countries and

compare if and how the motivations differ. It could also examine men’s motivations and

examine if and how they differ from women’s motivations. Other studies could also

investigate how motivations differ and change over time. It would be interesting and valuable

to meet these women again in a couple of years and examine how their motivations have

changed and if they have achieved their present goals.

39

10. References

Aldaco, Rosaevelia (2010). Latinas attainment of higher education: What factors contribute to

their success. Masters Abstracts International, vol. 49, issue 1.

Bryman, Alan (2002). Samhällsvetenskapliga metoder. Malmö: Liber

Bunter, Lyndsay (2006). From matriliny to the marriage market: a case study examining the

growth of women’s tertiary education in Kerala, India. Lund University

Chulef, Ada S., Read, Stephen J. and Walsh, David A. (2001). A hierarchical taxonomy of

human goals. Motivation and Emotion, vol. 25, no. 3, p. 191-232.

Coker, Angela D. (2003). African American female adult learners: Motivations, challenges,

and coping strategies. Journal of black studies, vol. 33, no. 5, p. 654-674

Dunne, Máiréad and Ananga, Eric Daniel (2013). Droppingo ut: identity conflict in and out of

school in Ghana. International Journal of Educational Development, vol. 33 (2013) p. 196-

205.

Gillham, Bill (2008). Forskningsintervjun - tekniker och genomförande. Malmö:

Studentlitteratur.

Hennink, Monique, Kiiti, Ndunge, Pillinger, Mara and Jayakaran, Ravi (2012). Defining

empowerment: perspectives from international development organisations. Development in

Practice, vol. 22, number 2, p. 202-215

Hyde, Janet Shibley and Kling, Kristen C. (2001). Women, Motivation and Achievement.

Psychology of women quarterly, vol. 25 (2001), p. 364-378.

Kar, Snehendu B., Pascual, Catherine A., Chickering, Kirsten L. (1999). Empowerment of

women for health promotion: a meta-analysis. Social Science and Medicine, vol. 49, p. 1431-

1460.

40

Kolto-Riviera, Mark E. (2006). Rediscovering the later version of Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs: Self-transcendence and opportunities for theory, research and unification. Review of

general psychology, vol. 10, no. 4, p. 302-217

Maslow, A.H. (1943). "A theory of human motivation", Psychological review, vol. 50, no. 4,

p. 370-396.

Merriam, Sharan B. (1994). Fallstudien som forskningsmetod. Lund: Studentlitteratur

Moulton, Jeanne (1997). Formal and non-formal education and empowered behavior: A

review of the research literature. USAID/AFR/SD.

Neher, Andrew (1991). Maslow’s theory of motivation: a critique. Journal of humanistic

psychology, 1991 31:89, p. 89-112.

Raufelder, Diana. Jagenow, Danilo. Drury, Kate. Hoferichter, Frances (2012). Social

relationships and motivation in secondary school: Four different motivation types. Learning

and individual differences, 2012.

Rowland, Jo (2013). Empowerment examined. Development in practice, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 101-

107

Samman, Emma and Santos, Maria Emma (2009). Agency and Empowerment: A review of

concepts, indicators and empirical evidence. University of Oxford

Sen, Amartya (2002). Utveckling som frihet. Göteborg: Daidalos

Sisask, Anne/Sida Studies no.3 (2001). Discussing women’s empowerment – Theory and

practice. Stockholm: Novum Grafiska AB

Tengland, Per-Anders (2008). Empowerment: a conceptual discussion. Health Care Anal, vol.

16, no. 2, p. 77-96

41

Tjomsland, Marit (2009). Women in higher education: A concern for development? Gender

technology and development, vol. 13, p. 407

Wang, Yingning (2009). Essays on educational attainment. Texas A&M University.

11. List of respondents

Key respondents:

Talah, 15 years old, Form three, Bagara Secondary School (28 of February 2013)

Jewel, 16 years old, Form three, Bagara Secondary School (26 and 28 of February 2013)

Naomi, 17 years old, Form three, Bagara Secondary School (28 of February and 2 of March

2013)

Adina, 18 years old, Form four, Bagara Secondary School (26 and 28 of February 2013)

Rose, 17 years old, Form six, Babati Day Secondary School (1 and 5 of March 2013)

Faress, 20 years old, Form five, Babati Day Secondary School (5 of March 2013)

Dunya, 19 years old, Form five, Aldersgate Secondary School (4 of March 2013)

Other respondents:

Susannah, 13 years old, Form one, Bagara Secondary School (28 of February 2013)

Kanza, 14 years old, Form one, Bagara Secondary School (28 of February 2013)

Afia, 18 years old, Form three, Bagara Secondary School (28 of February 2013)

Eden, 18 years old, Form five, Aldersgate Secondary School (4 of March 2013)

Leah, 20 years old, Form five, Aldersgate Secondary School (4 of March 2013)

42

12. Appendices A-B

A: Interview questions

What is your name?

How old are you?

What class are you attending?

Where do you live?

What are your parents doing?

Do you have siblings?

Are they going to school or have they gone to school?

How is school?

What motivates you to come to school?

What goals do you have with your education?

Why do you come to school every day?

What dreams do you have, both personally and professionally?

What do think about the future for your-self?

What do you learn in school?

What is positive and negative with school?

Do you want an own family?

43

B: Secondary schools

Bagara Secondary School: 729 students

Babati Day Secondary School: approximately 900 students

Aldersgate Secondary School: approximately 300 students

(Personal communication Elias Lyo, Headmaster Bagara Secondary School, 6/3-2013)