Abstract
This chapter looks at a specific case, assessing prospects for women’s empowerment: the Amhara National Regional State, a state located in northern Ethiopia. It will be demonstrated how legal frameworks and several initiatives, supported by various levels of government in Ethiopia, have created a context for female empowerment, while the reality of the situation for many women still lags behind. This is due to various constraints, including social and psychological ones, that are difficult to overcome. Women are still at a disadvantage compared to men in areas such as education, employment and (political) leadership positions. For this study, interviews were conducted with various stakeholders in Amhara Region, to explore what the actual obstacles are to enhancing the situation of women. Both the violent conflict in Ethiopia and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have complicated circumstances many women face, notably those working in traditional sectors or the informal economy, in the context of a country that is generally quite advanced in terms of its legal frameworks protecting the rights and roles of women in many areas of society.
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Notes
- 1.
Oxfam (2017) provides a detailed overview: “Economic empowerment is the capacity of women to participate in, contribute to and benefit from growth processes in ways which recognize the value of their contributions, respect their dignity and make it possible to negotiate a fairer distribution of the benefits of growth. Socio-cultural empowerment, by comparison, refers mainly to women’s freedom of movement, commitment to educating daughters (girls), women’s visibility in and access to social spaces, access to modern transportation and finally, participation in non- familial groups and social networks. Familial/interpersonal empowerment of women refers to participation in domestic decision-making processes, the ability to make child bearing decisions, to use contraception, control over spouse selection and marriage timing. It also implies freedom from domestic violence, shifts in marriage and kinship systems allowing for greater value and autonomy of women and local campaigns against domestic violence. Moreover, political empowerment of women refers to knowledge of the political system and methods of access to it, domestic support for political engagement and exercising the right to vote. At the community level, it refers to women’s involvement or mobilization in the local political system or campaigns; support for specific candidates or legislation; representation in local bodies of government. Finally, psychological empowerment refers to women’s self-esteem, psychological wellbeing, self-confidence, collective awareness of injustice and potential for mobilization. Accordingly, there are many different dimensions of women empowerment and all matter to establish better gender equality” (Oxfam 2017).
- 2.
Moreover, at the 2014 Girls Summit held in London, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia announced a package of action that Ethiopia is committed to to achieve the total elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage, by 2025.
- 3.
A lack of information and awareness, coupled with inadequate road infrastructures, often forces women to give birth at home, while this is a frequent factor of maternity-related deaths in the region.
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Tadesse, T., Chekol, A., Layew, T., Awoke, W. (2022). Women’s Empowerment: Analyzing Ethiopia’s Amhara National Regional State. In: Hosli, M.O., Blessing, A., Iacovidou, I. (eds) The Global, Regional and Local Politics of Institutional Responses to COVID-19. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09913-7_11
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