As the 2015 deadline to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
rapidly approaches, many countries, including Tanzania, face uncertainty as to whether they will
successfully fulfill each Goal and its corresponding indicators in time. Tanzania, as a signatory
on the Goals, has implemented many new policies targeted at their achievement; however, large
disparities still exist in the areas of girl’s education and women’s empowerment. Utilizing the
framework of a vertical case study analysis 37 participants were interviewed in this qualitative
based research study including Members of Parliament, Ministers, District Level Officials, nonGovernmental
organizations, and women to represent the differing levels of policy distribution in
urban and rural areas. Each participant was asked their perception on how policy is created,
distributed, and implemented to understand their knowledge of gender policies and their intended
purpose. This study revealed inconsistent methods of policy distribution which led to varying
perceptions of policy awareness, especially amongst non-governmental organizations and
women. Additionally, a missing element emerged which could, if used correctly, have profound
effects on gender policies within Tanzania. Participants indicated the inability to provide
feedback to the government regarding the effectiveness and impact of policies. If viewed through
the lens of critical feminist theory, a framework which seeks to capture data and use it to
transform and challenge current social structures to affect meaningful change for women,
feedback from women to the government could have a significant, meaningful impact on how
policies are created, distributed, and implemented across the country.