Today, the disparity in status between men and women is rooted in generations of patriarchal society. Women living in Tanzania are greatly marginalized. Many girls are pulled out of school first if their families cannot afford to send all of their children to school. The girls stay home to help with the younger children, family chores and duties, while boys are revered and most families keep them in school. Girls are also still expected to marry and start having children of their own at a young age, while still cooking, cleaning and perhaps working a job. (Marriages in Tanzania are often arranged and dowries are paid to the groom’s family.) Women lack the education and have low literacy rates which are reflected by their low profile in national politics and business.