Examining the Low Women Autonomy in Household Decision Makings in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Eyasu, R., Nigatu R. (2016) ‘Examining the low women autonomy in household decision makings in Sidama zone, Southern Ethiopia’, Journal of Woman’s Reproductive Health, 1 (13)

The author started by explaining the relationship between decision-making and control over resources. Accordingly, it is noted that decision-making at the household level determines access to various resources including food, land, income, wealth, knowledge, power, and other resources at community level. Women in Ethiopia are discriminated against when it comes to access to productive resources such as land, education, employment, health services and protection of basic human rights. The authors recognized that Ethiopia has undertaken legal reforms over the last two decades with respect to protecting the rights of women and girls. However, such reform doesn’t sufficiently address the challenges women are dealing with at household level. Women are still a victim of various social and demographic outcomes due to lack of autonomy and decision-making roles at the community and household level.

The study used Cross Sectional Quantitative Study, through household surveys of married women. Random sampling was employed to identify study districts. Accordingly, 231 households were selected from the study kebeles. The study employed univariate analysis for the description of the characteristics and other selected variables. Multivariate statistical techniques on the other hand are used to examine the association between the dependent variable and others. 

The study found that a large number of women have no or little experience when it comes to decision-making roles in the household. Seventy-four percent (74%) of decisions on a wife’s income are made by the husband alone. There are various factors contributing to low women decision-making roles in the household. The first reason is educational status. Women with advanced educational status were found to be more assertive which gave them bargaining power for decisions. On the contrary, women with low educational status are found to be less active, have low confidence, and are confined from participating in decision-making roles that impact her life. Husband’s characteristics are also found to be affecting women’s autonomy in the household. According to this study, alcohol-taking husbands has been found to be negatively affecting the autonomy of their wife. Wives of men who don’t drink alcohol are more assertive and autonomous when compared with the others. This is due to the reason that alcohol operates as a situational factor increasing the likelihood of violence and harassment, clouding reasonable judgement and impairing individuals’ ability to interpret facts.

Household size is also found to be affecting women’s autonomy. Accordingly, a woman with a large household family size found to be more autonomous when compared with women in low size households. Regarding landholding size and decision-making role, the author found that there is a positive relationship. As household land size increases, women’s level of decision making also increases. This is linked to the polygamous marriage apparent in the study area. As land holding size increases, the husband will have autonomy to marry as many wives as he can. Then the resources in each of the households tend to be managed by the wife herself.

Generally, the study indicated that women’s decision-making role in the study area is significantly low and calls for intervention from the government. Among various areas for intervention, attention shall be given to increase female’s participation in formal education. Moreover, attention shall be given by the local government to enhance women income generation through facilitation of access to property, land ownership and other resources.