Policy reform towards gender equality in Ethiopia : little by little the egg begins to walk
Kumar, Neha & Agnes R. Quisumbing
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world and is striving to provide for its chronically food insecure people. As the third most populous country in Africa, the people of Ethiopia are characterized by substantial ethnic and religious diversity, with over 85 ethnic groups and most major world religions represented, as well as animist belief systems (Webb, von Braun, and Yohannes 1992). This diversity extends beyond the people and culture of Ethiopia to their environment, since the agroecological zones, and consequently, farming systems, vary dramatically around the country. There is also considerable diversity in gender norms related to property ownership, inheritance, and the division of assets after divorce, with men favored in the majority of cases (Fafchamps and Quisumbing 2005). Such gender disparities have important welfare consequences, as evidenced by empirical work on Ethiopia. Dercon and Krishnan (2000) found that poor women in the Southern part of Ethiopia, where customary laws on settlement at divorce are biased against women, fare worst when illness shocks occur. Fafchamps et al. (2009) find that the relative nutrition of spouses is associated with correlates of bargaining power, such as cognitive ability, independent sources of income, and devolution of assets upon divorce, and that several dimensions of female empowerment benefit the nutrition and education level of children. However, research on the impacts of policy reform in other countries suggests that changes in legislation may improve well-being outcomes for women.
Event: Annual Bank Conference on Land Policy and Administration
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