Assosa University

School of Law

Research Proposal on

‘The State of Gender Equality in Ethiopia: Evidences from Benishangul

Gumuz, Menga Woreda’

Submitted by
1. Faruk
2. Abdulahi
3. Anur
4. Hadir

ADVISOR – Solomon Etansa

Table of Contents
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1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................3

2. Statement of Problem...............................................................................................................5

3. Research Objective...................................................................................................................6

3.1. General Objective.............................................................................................................6

3.2. Specific Objectives...........................................................................................................6

4. Research Questions..................................................................................................................6

4.1. General Question...............................................................................................................6

4.2. Specific Questions.............................................................................................................6

5. Significance of the study..........................................................................................................6

6. Scope of the Study....................................................................................................................7

7. Research Methodology.............................................................................................................7

8. Organization of the Study.........................................................................................................8

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 The State of Gender Equality in Ethiopia: Evidences from Benishangul
Gumuz, Menga Woreda

1. Introduction

Gender is a term used to describe the state of being male or female and moreover it represents a
multitude of states and experiences. Being male and female or masculine and feminine are
culturally cultivated constructs. Thus, undeniably this fact create a pave for gender stereotypes
such as men being viewed as strong, active, and high achieving and women being viewed as
weak, nurturing and emotional to be embedded within tradition and cultural norms. In this
manner, every society across the globe has common pattern and norm through which identify
someone as male and female and give more preference and privilege to men than women.
Historically, this has left women in disadvantageous condition in terms of social status,
economic benefit, and political position/participation. Marginalization from public life as well
make women across the world fell desperate about the overall role they have in social structure.
So then they try to advocate and fight for historical and social injustice, stereotypical attitude and
systemic discrimination to be acknowledged at the international podium and lasting solution
being crafted. This activism for women right and equality had begun since 1848 by convening
conference in Seneca Falls New asking for political reform, 1 long before the first world women
conference held at Mexico in 1975. 2 This Mexico conference was bedrock in the struggle for
gender equality and a year later General Assembly declare United Nation International Decade
for Women’s decade from 1976-1985.3 The next conferences which held in Copenhagen, Nairobi
and Beijing in 1980, 1985 and 1995 respectively put women’s issue and gender equality
forefront.

United Nation (hereinafter UN) as we can see from the charter is ensure the protection of human
rights of man kinds among others without any discrimination of sex. In complementing its
mission the UN sponsored the adoption of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (hereinafter
UDHR), the document which unequivocally affirm equality of men and women stating that “All

1
https://editions.covecollective.org/chronologies/first-womens-convention, last accessed on March 21, 2024
2
https://www.un.org/en/conferences/women/mexico-city1975, last accessed on March 21, 2024
3
https://www.un.org/en/conferences/women/mexico-city1975, last accessed on March 21, 2024

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human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.4 Furthermore, the declaration also
denounces any kind of discrimination including on the ground of sex. 5 Other subsequent human
rights instruments also shared the same paves thus deny discrimination based on sex to ensure
gender equality and help the effort to rectify historical injustice against women. 6 However, the
efforts than have been carrying out continuously by the UN and Regions human rights systems,
by then, remain insignificant to this pervasive social and economic problem. So General
Assembly had been advised by the commission on the status of women to adopt separate
instrument which focus on the rights of women and embody special measure to enforce practical
realization of women. Following this recommendation General Assembly proclaim Convention
on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (hereinafter CEDAW) which is
the first of its kind and brought authoritative definition on term discrimination against women. 7
This convention obliged state party to it to take legislative, administrative and other measures to
deter discriminator trends towards women and implement necessary action to ensure gender
equality.

All the efforts took by UN and member states mean a lot in entrenching system of protect
enshrined equal enjoyment of human rights by women in equal footage along with their men
counterpart though the problem is that it is hard to interpret the legislative frameworks in
practice to the level expected. Let the reality in the developing countries as it is even what we are
witness from the developed countries is harsh as discrimination against women is persisting in all
dimension of women’s life – women’s are still facing social stigmatization, economic
marginalization and it is not easy to participate in decision making and political arena. Ethiopia
is not exception to this reality considering that its population is one of conservative, religious and

4
United Nation General Assemble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted under Resolution 217(III)
(hereinafter Universal Declaration of Human Rights) on December 10, 1948, Art 1.
5
Ibid, art 2
6
See International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, Adopted by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI)
of 16 December 1966, entry into force 23 March 1976, art 2; International Convention on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, Adopted by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966, entry into force 3
January 1976, art 2; African Charter On Human And Peoples' Rights, Adopted 27 June 1981, OAU Doc.
CAB/LEG/67/3 rev. 5, 21 I.L.M. 58 (1982), entered into force 21 October 1986, art 2.
7
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Adopted General Assembly
resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979 entry into force 3 September 1981. See article 1, it defines discrimination
against women as ‘…any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or
purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital
status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field’.

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traditional society in the world. Examining the situation in Ethiopia in this regard gives you the
picture that despite uplifting rights of women to the constitutional elevation in Ethiopian
society,8 the government failed to live up to its rhetoric due to structural and institutional
constraints.9 It is this fact which motivates this research to examine gender equality in practice
juxtaposes what is embodied in various UN human rights instruments and resolutions to which
Ethiopia is party and the study will see it from the perspective of the study area.

2. Statement of Problem

Status of women is their position or rank in relation to men; measured in terms of educational
attainment, employment and remuneration, occupational type, access to services and benefits,
opportunities to participate in decision making and politics. 10 Even though since the reform that
happened in 2018 one can testify a bit but promising move took by the government at the
national level as the 50 % of the cabinet consisted by women including the head of state position,
enough had not done by the government comparable to intensity of the issue. As data indicate
that number of women member of parliamentary shows proportionate increment than what had
recorded in preceded election. Nevertheless this government’s initiative of promoting women
political involvement lately lack continuity even at the federal governance and vanish had never
seen at the regional and local administration. The government of Ethiopia should have to go long
way in terms ascertaining economic inclusion, equal access to employment opportunity, equal
remuneration for the same work and eliminate social structure which is not favorable therefore to
realize women equal enjoyment of rights and opportunity and along the way bring gender
equality.

Therefore this study get inspired by what has been observed in practice to examine the state of
gender equality in Ethiopia using empirical assessment conducted in Assosa Zone, Menga
Woreda of Benishangul Gumuz Region.

8
Ethiopia also adopted national police of women in 1994 during the transitional government,
9
Burgess, G. (2013). A hidden history: Women’s activism in Ethiopia, Journal of International Women’s Studies,
14(3), p 96–107.
10
Haregewoin Cherinet and Emebet Mulugeta, ‘Towards Gender Equality in Ethiopia’, February 2003, p 10

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 3. Research Objective
3.1. General Objective

This study has a general objective of examining the state of gender equality in Ethiopia through
empirical assessment conducted in Assosa Zone, Menge Woreda.

3.2. Specific Objectives

From the above general objective the study has the following specific objective to address:-
1. To explore and analyze international and national legal framework on the rights of
women and gender equality in Ethiopia
2. To scrutinize practical challenges face in the process of ensuring gender equality
3. To suggest legislative and administrative way-out for the challenges observed in bringing
all encompass gender equality depending on finding obtain from study area.
4. Research Questions
4.1. General Question

The general question of this study is to examine what is the state of gender equality in Ethiopia
through empirical assessment conducted in Assosa Zone, Menge Woreda.

4.2. Specific Questions

1. What international and national laws are in place towards women’s rights and gender
equality in Ethiopia?
2. What are the practical problems limit the realization of gender equality in Ethiopia?
3. What are legal and administrative way-out available to respond to challenges observed in
bringing gender equality?

5. Significance of the study

As the objective of this study tries to elucidate, it is conducted to examine the state of gender
equality in Ethiopia upon making some empirical study to support the finding with practical
reality. So the outcome of this study shed light on actual state of gender equality through
interpolating data which collected from the study area due to this it have the advantages of serve
as an addition to the existing bulk of literatures, inspire other interested to conduct study on
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related issue as it become an additional source, above all it provide relevant information on the
practical situation of gender equality and challenges which put limit to the realization of gender
equality to the level required to drag the attention of policy and law makers.

6. Scope of the Study

This study is about to make legal and practical assessment of the effort in the realization of
gender equality in Ethiopia and study area. So it is limit to inquire the situation of gender
equality and in terms of proximity it limited to study the context in the study area in relation to
the subject matter of the study.

7. Research Methodology
The research employs both doctrinal and empirical research methodology to address its
objective. The researchers use doctrinal research for analysis relevant document whereas for the
sake of studying the reality we going to use empirical research method. To collect relevant
information on the issue under study the researchers use both primary and secondary sources.
Accordingly the researchers will analysis various legal documents, reports, books, articles,
journals and online sources. As well for empirical assessment the research will employ various
data collection tools like interview, questionnaires and focus group discussion (FGD). The data
and information collected using the above data collection tools will be analyzed through
qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. The research uses qualitative analysis
technique to carry out in-depth study of the subject matter of the study based on the information
collected from the source and to authenticate the validity of information. Furthermore, qualitative
method allows the researcher use theoretical and interpretive framework that denote the study
and to address the research objective and research problems, 11 thus qualitative approach is
involve in developing illustrations of social events. It aims to help to understand the fact that
occurred. On the other hand the research quantifies the data collected from the respondent to
describe the study in numerical value.

The data that will collect for empirical assessment will be carry out through employing purposive
sampling technique. The researcher will prepare semi-structured interview questionnaires to have
relevant information from those respondents identified purposively. The researchers therefore are

11
Jhon W. Cresmell, qualitative inquiry and research design, 3rd edition.

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highly interested in this data collection method because it offers the chance to obtain experts’
opinion and view in advance. In this scenario, the respondents also have the opportunity to add
extra but relevant information which isn’t within the knowledge of the researcher to ask.
Moreover, if not for such a method the key points will be missed otherwise.

8. Organization of the Study

The research will constitute four chapters. The first chapter is an introductory which contains the
proposal part of the research. The second chapter will be about conceptualizing gender equality
and discussion on available international and national legal framework for the gender equality.
Under this chapter the basic focus is on Ethiopian context. Under the third chapter this research
will try to assess empirical data to reach on the conclusion on the status of gender equality in the
study area to try to interpolate to the national level. The last chapter is conclusion and
recommendation.

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