Half of the world’s population is composed of women and empowering them means empowering an incredibly large number of the people. However, as it is well known, gender inequality is pervasive throughout the world, although the nature and extent of this inequality varies considerably across countries and regions. In most countries of the Global South, women and men do not have equal rights. There are significant gaps in terms of legal rights, access to and control over resources, economic opportunities, power, and political voice.
Women and girls, therefore, bear the greatest and most direct costs of gender inequalities. As a result, there are adverse impacts that affect society as a whole, ultimately harming everyone.
Empowerment is too broad and contextual term to be numerously defined. According to Naila Kabeer, Professor of Gender and Development at the Department of International Development, empowerment is a change and “it refers to expansion on people’s ability to make strategic life choice in a context where this ability was previously denied to them’’.
According to this definition, empowerment for a woman means a combination of changes in her aspiration and achievement, i.e. being able to define her own life choices and to pursue her goals. In order to be able to make choices for oneself, one needs to understand the power dynamics inherent in every society. Understanding issues concerning power and gender, therefore, is the first step forward in understanding women’s empowerment.
Economic empowerment has been defined in different ways as it is processed or carried out in different contexts and realities. Others define that economic empowerment as: “a process that increases people’s access to and control over economic resources and opportunities including jobs, financial services, property and other productive assets (from which one can generate an income), skills development and market information indicator of economic empowerment.
According to the Central Statistics Agency’s (CSA’s) recent report, out of the 120 million populations in Ethiopia, half comprises women. Hence, any economic development plan without considering women will not be succeeded. It is still clear that the society is male dominated and women particularly residing in the rural part of the country are marginalized from their own affairs.
One of the key tools which enable to empower women and bring gender equality is expanding education and increasing women school enrolment and to that end the government engaged in constructing infrastructures such as roads, schools, clinics, electric power and piped water in the rural part since long ago and so far, encouraging results has been registered.
The Ethiopian government has been taking measures for ending poverty and accelerating sustainable economic growth as is stated in its agenda in the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) from 2010-2015. The plan was carried out with a clear objective focused on agro-industry, rural development, industrialization, social and human development, good governance and democratization.
It is a major document that has been implemented towards the economic growth of the country which encompasses cross-cutting areas such as gender equality and youth participation. World Bank supported project assessed in 2022 concerned with the empowerment of women in Ethiopia on economic and social aspects in rural and urban areas showed that the status of women in the development arena was minimal both in rural and urban areas. The study shed light on the fact that women face constraints in accessing economic assets, which prevents them from expressing or exercising their rights.
As Ethiopia’s economy is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, there is a need to understand the discourses of women’s empowerment in that context. One has to ask if this growth is inclusive or gender sensitive that gives fair and equal opportunities for all.
The problem in practice is that women’s economic empowerment is still lagging behind despite the rhetoric used in the economic development discourses in Ethiopia.
Regardless of massive effort being exerted by government and other concerned bodies, Ethiopia ranks 109 out of 144 countries in the world on gender gap in economic empowerment and participation, according to the data of World Economic Forum 2022. The same data shows that Ethiopia ranks number 42 in terms of the labor force participation, and 105 out of 144 on wage equality for similar work. Ethiopia rank 45th out of 144 countries in women’s political empowerment, and it is the 93rd place according to women holding ministerial positions. The figures presented show only the quantity of the gap or disparities. The problem of women economic empowerment transcends in its qualitative nature and is not assessed from the ability of human agency.
From different categories, economic empowerment must be perceived as the liberating element of women in bondage, which gives them a human agency to make free choice to exercise power. Donor-centered empowerment must consider context in interpreting discourses of empowerment. Economic empowerment increases women’s access to economic resources and opportunities including jobs, financial services, property and other productive assets, skills development and market information.
It is central to process of maintaining benefits at all level: household, community and broader level. In this regard, encouraging outcomes are being registered especially during the recent years. For instance, the Ethiopian government along with investors has provided well furnished houses for those in need including the elderly ones in which many of them are women.
Participating in economic empowerment has many indicators must be embarked on to unbundle the complexity of the notion of empowerment. During the meeting on the occasion of the World Population Day recently held focusing on the vitality of women empowerment for development, State Minister of Planning and Development, Tirumar Abate highlighted Ethiopia’s commitment to the implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
She also stressed the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in achieving sustainable development. The World Population Day celebration was a reminder of the importance of empowering women and girls and ensuring that they have the same rights and opportunities as men.
It was also a call to action to invest in women and girls to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future for all. The Ten Years Development Plan (2021-2030) has given adequate emphasis on gender equality and social inclusion.
She also stated that The Ministry of Planning and Development is aware of the need to revise the 1993 population policy of Ethiopia. The institutional basis of population issues in Ethiopia at all levels needs to be strengthened. The Ministry of Planning and Development assures its continuous support to the issues of population and development in general and gender equality in particular.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative to Ethiopia, Koffi Kouame, stated that UNFPA is working in collaboration with Ethiopia to strengthen the role of women and girls in the society. He also said that uplifting the voices of women and girls is essential to unlocking the world’s infinite possibilities.
The event also featured remarks from the Ambassador of Denmark to Ethiopia, representing the diplomatic corps in Addis. The Ambassador said that Denmark is committed to supporting Ethiopia’s efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
As mentioned above, the World Population Day celebration was a reminder of the importance of empowering women and girls and ensuring that they have the same rights and opportunities as men. It was also a call to action to invest in women and girls to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
In a message she delivered on the occasion, Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Ergoge Tesfaye (PhD) said that the government of Ethiopia has been taking various measures to ensure the benefits and equal participation of women in the country. She urged all to give the appropriate attention to support those women who are in dire situation.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 8 MARCH 2024
