57143




Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member
governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge Networks, Information and
Technology Center on behalf of the Region




               Gender issues in Ethiopia : Implementing the National Policy on Women



Background

The National Policy on Women (Women's Policy) formulated in 1993, aimed to create
appropriate structures within government offices and institutions to establish equitable and
gender-sensitive public policies. The Government of Ethiopia in 1995, under its new
constitution, renewed its commitment towards this policy.

The government initiated an ambitious and extensive process of regionalization, whereby new
regional boundaries were demarcated and administrative powers devolved to regional
governments which were authorized to implement all development policies. This represented a
departure from the earlier practice of centralized project management by ministries.

This more participatory and decentralized form of governance made the implementation of the
national policy a more challenging endeavor. There was correspondingly a great need to build
the delivery capacity of the regional governments. While the central level of government
promoted gender-sensitive policies and development interventions, very little was known about
the constraints and issues at the regional levels.

...when it comes to the Queen of Sheba, there is a great story, yet no concrete evidence to
support it. Do not deny her existence in Ethiopia, however. According to the Ethiopian national
epic, Kabra Negast, compiled in the fourteenth century, Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, who
visited King Solomon in the Old Testament times, came from Tigre in Northern Ethiopia.... In
Ethiopia, it was considered quite natural that a woman should have held supreme power.
"Women of Power in Ethiopian Legend and History." Selamta (in-flight magazine of Ehhiopian Airlines) 13(1, January-March 1996): 25.
Objectives of the Women in Development (WID) Report

Discussions with the Minister, Women's Affairs Office initiated the process of preparing a report
with a very regional focus.The procedure for preparation was discussed with the government and
other relevant stakeholders. Issues were identified jointly through Participatory Rural Appraisals
( PRA ) to bring in the voices of grassroots women stakeholders, and through preparation of
background reports by a number of local consultants.

The WID report examines and identifies institutional, legal, and regulatory constraints on the
expeditious and effective implementation of the women's policy. The objectives of the report
were clear. It would:

assist Regional Governments improve the institutional and regulatory framework for the
implementation of the Women's Policy; and

provide the basis for World Bank support to the Government of Ethiopia to implement its
Women's Policy, and support the Bank's policy dialogue with Ethiopia.



Main Findings

Interventions for women largely consist of ad hoc and unconnected self-standing projects, which,
if continued, will remain gender neutral and ineffective in delivering benefits to women.

The biggest challenge faced by the regional governments is that top-down activities do not reach
women effectively due to lack of institutional capacity at the sub-regional level and because of
lack of participation in delivery assistance services. Moreover, the development plans for women
were not demand-driven and therefore failed to recognize substantial variations across regions.
This resulted in women being disconnected from all development interventions



Legal and Regulatory Issues

The use of patriarchal customary laws constrained women's access to resources.

The legal framework prohibited poor women from entering informal labor markets.

Prevailing traditional gender biases exist against women in the allocation of land.

Women's access to resources are limited due to biases resulting from the family arbitration
system.

Women have no access to legal aid and are severely constrained in seeking remedies from civil
courts.
Lack of women's grassroots organizations prevents their participation in development activities.



Institutional Issues

The responsibilities and roles of the Women's Affairs Office are unclear and inadequate.

Regional governments lack the requisite institutional capacity to successfully implement
development policies.

Women' Offices are dependent on donors or NGOs due to the lack of a capital budget.

Constraints to the preparation and implementation of appropriate development plans

Lack of regional gender-desegregated data which limits the formulation of gender-sensitive
development interventions and responses.

Absence of women's groups because of cultural taboos.

Weak collaboration with non-governmental or private entities.



Key Recommendations

Consistent Public Policy: Public policy should be made consistent by amending discriminatory
provisions in the civil court which promote traditional gender biases.

Mitigation of the Impact of Inequitable Customary Laws: (i) Examine the applicability of
customary laws by making women aware of their legal rights; and (ii) strengthen awareness of
women's roles and rights by building consensus against customary practices.

Increased Access of Women to Economic and Productive Resources: Regional governments
need to (i) increase women's access to land and natural resources; (ii) facilitate the entry of poor
women into labor markets through access to credits.

Better access to legal services for women needs to be provided: (i) By community leaders being
sensitized to legal issues; (ii) through training of women family arbitrators; (iii) through the
establishment of small legal funds for poor women who need legal services.

Affirmative action is needed to provide women access to civil and village councils; legal and
regulatory procedures should be made minimal to facilitate the formation and working of small
grassroots groups.
The regional government needs to: (i) Strengthen the technical capacity of women to implement
schemes (ii) increase awareness of gender issues at its bureaus and amongst partners involved in
formulating development plans, in particular in its sub-regional entities.

Gender-sensitive development plans should be the mandate of the regional planning bureaus
which incorporate monitorable indicators for policy formulation and project planning.

Regional governments should provide incentives to bureaus that undertake gender-responsive
development plans.

Regional governments need to delegate power and responsibilities to Women's Affairs Bureaus
and Women's Affairs Departments for them to carry out their mandates effectively. Furthermore,
proper evaluation and monitoring systems need to be in place to prevent incorrect gender-
disaggregated data from negatively impacting the programs.



Implications for Donors

Donors should focus support on four specific areas; (i) capacity-building which needs to target
the sub-regional levels and include training in the identification, design, and implementation of
gender-sensitive development interventions; (ii)programs which promote literacy, family
planning and early childhood interventions; (iii) women microentrepreneurs; (iv) the
implementation of new gender-sensitive legal and institutional reforms by the government.



Next Steps

A Bank-assisted WID project leading out of the recommendations and finding of the report is
under consideration for Ethiopia. The proposed project aims to assist socially and economically
vulnerable women to benefit from the increasingly expanding economy and private sector
opportunities. It will seek to improve the standard of living of women and contribute to poverty
alleviation. Addressing the constraints to implementing the National Policy on Women and
supporting the establishment of grassroots women's organizations will build women's ability to
organize themselves to effectively voice their concerns and preferences about their economic,
social and civic rights.



Implementing the Ethiopian Policy for Women : Institutional and Regulatory Issues, 1998. The Women's Affairs Office, Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia, The World Bank. For more information, contact Gita Gopal, Rm. J9-063, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington D.C. 20433. Tel.: (202)
4736835; e-mail : ggopal@worldbank.org