Assefa, T., & Haile, W. (2022). Women Empowerment: Policy Evidence from Ethiopia and Kenya. Qeios.
Overview: Correcting gender disparity in society leads to women’s empowerment, which measures their access to and control over material and social resources within families, communities, and society. This multidimensional concept measures women’s ability to control resources, choose outcomes, and enhance self-esteem. Ethiopia and Kenya have experienced women’s empowerment through national policies, workplace protection, constitutional provisions, and educational enrollment. These efforts serve as indicators of empowerment and enhance women’s status.
Methodology: The article examines Ethiopia and Kenya’s policy efforts to ensure women’s empowerment through policy provisions and experiences. It employs a qualitative approach and a descriptive research design, analyzing data from secondary sources like books, journals, articles, conventions, reports, policy papers, and legal provisions. The findings aim to alleviate gender inequality and increase women’s role in social and economic spheres.
Finding: Ethiopia has implemented a national policy to eliminate gender gaps and enhance women’s participation in all aspects of life. The country is a member of global institutions that enforce equality for women and men. National policies, including the National Policy of Women, Population Policy, Education Policy, and Cultural Policy, are being formulated and implemented at various government levels to integrate global agreements and conventions. The Women’s Policy aims to institutionalize women’s political, economic, and social rights, ensuring equitable development for all Ethiopians. From the findings, both countries have made significant efforts to alleviate gender inequality and improve their communities’ livelihoods. They have also committed to international pressures through conventions and agreements. This has led to increased women’s participation in politics and decision-making, but women still face marginalization in both countries. These measures are concentrated in urban areas and high-level administrative echelons, lacking deep-rooted support in rural communities.
Conclusion: Effective institutions and leadership are crucial for implementing gender-related policies in rural areas. However, many people lack literacy, which exacerbates gender disparity. Socio-cultural practices, deeply rooted in communities, also hinder the successful implementation of gender-related measures. Governments must focus on women’s empowerment to achieve a balanced representation of women in all aspects of their lives.
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