Kumar, N., & Quisumbing, A. R. (2015). Policy reform toward gender equality in Ethiopia: Little by little the egg begins to walk. World Development, 67, 406-423.
Overview: This paper explores the complementarity of two Ethiopian reform processes, the revised Family Code and community-based land registration efforts, and the impact of institutional change on gender equality. The study examines the correlation between household characteristics, women’s perceptions of asset allocation,and land registration participation.Ā
Methodology: This paper examines the potential complementarity of gender-sensitive reforms in Ethiopia, using data from the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey (ERHS). The Ethiopian Family Reform Survey (ERHS) is a panel dataset with seven rounds of data collection. The study uses data from the 1997, 2004, and 2009 rounds, focusing on assets distribution after divorce before the Family Code reform. The sample consists of 1,300 households in 15 villages across Ethiopia, representing major agro climatic zones and farming systems. The ERHS also provides longitudinal information on households and individuals over 15 years.
Findings: The results show that these reforms may have differential impacts on households depending on factors like sex, asset ownership, and other characteristics.According to the finding, Gender disparity in education and land and asset ownership is evident in rural areas. Female-headed households have an average highest education level of 4.76 years, which is about a year and half less than male-headed households.
Disparities in land and physical asset ownership, social capital measures, and access to financial institutions and credit are also observed. The Family Law protects women’s rights to property following marital dissolution, suggesting that female-headed households benefit from additional protection. Land registration analysis also examines differential participation and awareness of male- and female-headed households, possibly due to their lower social status or lack of information about the process.Ā
The land registration process increased tenure security among women, but gender gaps in awareness and information about the process were found. Male-headed households were more likely to have heard about the process, attended meetings, and received written material about it. The presence of female members in the Local Area Committee (LAC) encouraged participation by female-headed households, who were more likely to be excluded by the process. The land registration effort also influenced perceptions of the distribution of assets upon divorce, with awareness positively correlated with the shift towards equal division of land and livestock upon divorce.
Conclusion: The findings emphasizes the importance of a gender progressive legal framework in relation to marital property rights and inheritance rights. The study also shows that the reform of the Family Code and community-based land registration may have mutually reinforcing effects on women’s rights and welfare.Despite the long history of gender discrimination in property rights in Ethiopia, these reforms, and recent increased attention to women in agricultural development programs, illustrate that perhaps, little by little, progress is being made.Ā