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"Women do what they want": Islam and permanent contraception in Northern Tanzania

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  • Krehbiel Keefe, Susi

Abstract

Based on fieldwork in Ugweno, Tanzania, this research explores a case that contradicts popular understandings and representations of Muslim African women--specifically with respect to reproduction and family planning. Building on case studies of women who articulate their motivations regarding contraceptive use in general, and sterilization in particular, I argue that religious (and, in this case, Islamic) values and reasoning are fashioned pragmatically. The study was based on in-depth, unstructured and open-ended interviews with 40 women (20 of whom had been sterilized), as well as men, religious leaders and hospital workers. Women (and men) in Ugweno construct reproductive lives that challenge overly deterministic understandings of the relationship between religion and contraceptive practices. It was found that perceptions of Islamic rules about family planning are inconsistent. Individuals are able to define their own approach by manipulating the rules and resisting them.

Suggested Citation

  • Krehbiel Keefe, Susi, 2006. ""Women do what they want": Islam and permanent contraception in Northern Tanzania," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 418-429, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:63:y:2006:i:2:p:418-429
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hollos, Marida & Larsen, Ulla, 1997. "From lineage to conjugality: The social context of fertility decisions among the Pare of Northern Tanzania," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 361-372, August.
    2. Hollos, Marida & Larsen, Ulla, 2004. "Which African men promote smaller families and why? Marital relations and fertility in a Pare community in Northern Tanzania," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1733-1749, May.
    3. Sargent, Carolyn & Cordell, Dennis, 2003. "Polygamy, disrupted reproduction, and the state: Malian migrants in Paris, France," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(9), pages 1961-1972, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ataullahjan, Anushka & Mumtaz, Zubia & Vallianatos, Helen, 2019. "Family planning, Islam and sin: Understandings of moral actions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 49-56.

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