Kedir, A.M. (2014) ‘Inclusive Growth and Inequalities in the Context of Structural Transformation: Evidence from Ethiopia’, Society for International Development. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 512–520.
Among the 2015- post development agenda which highlighted five priority areas, Structural Transformation and Inclusive Growth that was aligned to the second Growth and Transformation Plan is at the heart of this study. According to the author, though Ethiopia is working towards inclusive growth that addresses the vulnerable and food insecure community through the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), inequality remains the prominent challenge in the country. Inequality is discussed from different parameters including, inequality in income earning, inequality in relation to social, labour market and gender inequality.
Regarding the implication of structural reforms on gender equality, the study indicated that gender inequality is common in education, health, labour market and other social/political dimensions. Though women play a key role in agricultural activities the perception that classifies women’s work and their contribution to the society as invisible is reflected in this data. According to the World Bank Gender Action Plan, gender equality is smart economics, which means that women’s economic empowerment is a goal towards which all developing countries shall target for enhancement of their human rights, social justice, and economic benefits. Moreover, working on gender-based constraints will serve as a catalyst of economic development.
The author indicated that Ethiopia has a long history of discrimination against women which is visible from many of its oppressive social norms and unequal payment in the labour market. Traditional norms that perpetuate harmful practices such as early marriage and lack of agency inhibited women economic empowerment in the country. Marriage has been considered as a social structure whereby women desperately denied the right to access and control over resources. To address these challenges, the government of Ethiopia has taken different measures such as legal/policy reform and structural reforms. The amendment of Family Law in 2000, that introduces significant change towards women’s empowerment and their ability to self-advocate, work for fair wages and own property is the prominent one. It also addressed child marriage by increasing legal marriage from 15 to 18, ensured equal entitlement to property in the marriage, and freedom to work in area of the spouse’s choice. In addition to the family law, Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has developed a gender-mainstreaming strategy to promote gender equality across all its programming and organisational development processes. Structural reform includes the creation of the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, with a mandate to work in areas that affect children and youth regardless of their gender. The government also designed a land certification programme and targeted vulnerable and food insecure families including those headed by females through its PSNP. Another important development is aimed at increasing the political empowerment of women through their appointment in various political decision-making roles. However, the practical fact shows that still women constitute the majority in the informal sector that doesn’t have educational skill, whereas male dominate in a formal labour market that demands educational qualification.
The authors thus argued that lifting time constraints for girls and women will enable them to engage in the formal labour market thereby increasing their productivity and economic empowerment. Thus, to improve the livelihoods of women dominating in the informal sector the government shall provide necessary institutional arrangements so that their access to productive capital will be increased.