Assefa, T. (2021). A Review of Constitutional and Policy Provisions for Women empowerment in Ethiopia. Academia Letters, 2.
Overview: Women’s economic and political contributions are significant, but they often face disadvantaged positions in control and management of resources and social affairs. This inequality stems from traditional norms and values, and is further exacerbated by women’s deprivation of equitable participation in the educational system. Despite constitutional and policy provisions, women’s status in the socio-political, economic, and cultural context remains undermining. This paper aims to review Constitutional provisions and National Policy of Ethiopian Women to identify gaps in the two provisions.
Methodology: The primary source for this part is the constitution itself. Constitutional provision of the country pays greater emphasis on women empowerment, equality of women with men, protection of fundamental rights of peoples.
Findings: The constitution in Ethiopia is limited in certain aspects, such as its article 34 (5), which empowers customary law in resolving family issues. This empowers religious and customary laws as arbiters of family matters, such as divorce and inheritance. This empowers religious and customary laws, which tend to be patriarchal in nature. This raises concerns about gender equality and the societal and cultural construction of gender equality in Ethiopia. Traditional and religious laws in Ethiopia contribute to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, but the constitution still validates customary and religious law in resolving family issues, depriving women of ownership and decision-making on valuable resources.
The other part of the review states that Ethiopia’s Women’s National Policy was formulated in 1993 to address gender gaps and promote women’s participation in all aspects of life. The policy aimed to institutionalise political, economic, and social rights of women by creating gender-sensitive structures in government offices and institutions. However, criticisms include a lack of emphasis on basic human rights, weak government structures, weak cooperation among different actors, a primarily government-dominated approach to policy implementation, and illusive implementation strategies. The policy’s focus on women’s roles in public uprising and political and materialistic roles has led to criticisms, particularly at the Kebele level, where women’s representatives and organisations face capacity problems. The policy’s implementation strategies are likely illusive and lack precision, with many using vague expressions and duplication of policy content.
Conclusion: In conclusion, Ethiopia has ratified international conventions and agreements to enforce gender parity, but gaps remain in its constitution, policy formulation, and implementation. The 1995 constitution lacks sufficient institutionalisation and implementation for women’s empowerment and protection. The National Policy of Women faces issues in content, implementation, and institutional capacity, and does not adequately address human rights. Although improvements in numerical representation have been made, substantive representation and decision-making power still face challenges.
Recommendation:To ensure gender parity in the country, a responsive legal and policy framework is needed. Recommendations include creating community-based media, strengthening institutional structures, providing women’s empowerment training, changing attitudes, and collaborating with stakeholders to create comprehensive policies and legal provisions.
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