Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia

Teshome Yirgu Bayu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia

Teshome Yirgu Bayu

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 4)

Received: 23 June 2015 Accepted: 27 June 2015 Published: 7 July 2015

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Abstract

Women are the most marginalized and disadvantaged group of society in relation to accessing and controlling land in rural Ethiopia. The study critically reviews and analyzes the status of rural women in access to and control over land in three purposefully selected rural kebeles of Gamo highlands, SNNPR on smallholder farmers. In the study mixed research approaches including qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Survey of 164 households mainly females were conducted administrating questionnaires in the quantitative methods. The qualitative method applied was group discussion and interviews and personal observation. In the study descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. The findings clearly depicted that in the study area female headed households owned 0.52 ha farmland compared to 0.86 ha of their male counterpart, where the average holding at the national level and Gamo highland is0.96 and 0.92 ha respectively. Though, Ethiopia’s legal framework is progressive in its support to women’s land rights, due to harmful customary practices, patriarchal orientation and traditional social norms towards female in Gamo highland female do not own and control rural land, and even inherit land from their family and death of husband. The study further noted that among socio-cultural and institutional factors discriminatory cultural practices (60%), low awareness of women on their land right (19.4%), challenge of law enforcement (10.3%) and women’s position in the society (4.7%) are the most dominant constraints that impedes women’s land right in the study area. Moreover, in the study area women’s are less represented in leadership positions and rural land administration council. Of the independent socioeconomic variables sex, educational status and family size are appeared to be statistically significant association with land ownership. Finally it is suggested that awareness creation campaign and proportional representation of women in decision making process and local land administration councils needs urgent response.

Published in	Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14
Page(s)	149-154
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Women’s Land Right, Gender Equity, Households, Social Norms, Patriarchal Orientation

References

[1]	Adal Yigremew (2005). “Rural Women’s Access to Land in Ethiopia.” Addis Ababa: Forum for Social Studies.
[2]	Davison J., (1988). Land and Women's Agricultural Production: The Context in Agriculture, Women and Land The African Experience. J Davison (ed), West view Press, Bould and London.
[3]	Daniel Ayalew Ali, Stein Holden and Jaap Zevenbergen, (2007). Recertification in Ethiopia: Process, initial impact, and implications for other African countries.
[4]	Dessalegn Rahmato (2009). The Peasant and the State: Studies in Agrarian Change in Ethiopia (1950’s-2000’s). Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University Press.
[5]	Doss Chery (2006). “The effect of interschool property ownership on expenditure patterns in Ghana.” Journal of African Economist. 15 (1). 149-180.
[6]	Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, FDRE, (1995). Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Proclamation No. 1/1995 Proclamation of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
[7]	Holden Stein and TeferaTewodros (2008). “From Being Property of Men to Becoming Equal Owners? Early Impact of Land Registration and Certification on Women in Southern Ethiopia.” Nairobi: UNHABITAT.
[8]	Kumar Neha and Quisumbing A (2010). “Policy Reform Towards Gender Equality in Ethiopia: Little by Little the Egg Begins to Walk.” Washington DC: Intentional Food Policy Research Institute.
[9]	Lewis B (1997). Doing your research project, A guide for first-time researchers in education and social science, 3rd Edition open university press maidenhead Philadelphia, USA.
[10]	Teklu Askale (2005) “Research Report 4: Land Registration and Women’s Land Rights in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.” London: International Institute for Environment and Development.
[11]	Tenaw Shimelles, Zahidul Islam, and Tuulikki Parviainen (2009). “Effects of land tenure and property rights on agricultural productivity in Ethiopia, Nambia, and Bangladesh.” Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
[12]	Tesfa Hadera (2002). “Women and Land Rights in Ethiopia: A Comparative Study of Two community in Tigray and Oromiya Regional States.” Kampala: Eastern African Sub- Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI).
[13]	Tesfaye Beshah (2003). Understanding Farmers: Explaining Soil and Water Conservation in Konso, Wolaita, and Wollo, Ethiopia. The Netherlands: Wageningen University and Research Center. PhD Dissertation. Retrieved on 05-March-2010, from http://library.wur.nl/ebooks/1676777.pdf.
[14]	Verma Ritu (2007). “Without Land You are Nobody”: Critical Dimensions of Women’s Access to Land and Relations in Tenure in East Africa Nairobi. Ottawa: IDRC.

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Teshome Yirgu Bayu. (2015). Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(4), 149-154. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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Teshome Yirgu Bayu. Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2015, 3(4), 149-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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Teshome Yirgu Bayu. Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanit Soc Sci. 2015;3(4):149-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14,
  author = {Teshome Yirgu Bayu},
  title = {Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {149-154},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20150304.14},
  abstract = {Women are the most marginalized and disadvantaged group of society in relation to accessing and controlling land in rural Ethiopia. The study critically reviews and analyzes the status of rural women in access to and control over land in three purposefully selected rural kebeles of Gamo highlands, SNNPR on smallholder farmers. In the study mixed research approaches including qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Survey of 164 households mainly females were conducted administrating questionnaires in the quantitative methods. The qualitative method applied was group discussion and interviews and personal observation. In the study descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. The findings clearly depicted that in the study area female headed households owned 0.52 ha farmland compared to 0.86 ha of their male counterpart, where the average holding at the national level and Gamo highland is0.96 and 0.92 ha respectively. Though, Ethiopia’s legal framework is progressive in its support to women’s land rights, due to harmful customary practices, patriarchal orientation and traditional social norms towards female in Gamo highland female do not own and control rural land, and even inherit land from their family and death of husband. The study further noted that among socio-cultural and institutional factors discriminatory cultural practices (60%), low awareness of women on their land right (19.4%), challenge of law enforcement (10.3%) and women’s position in the society (4.7%) are the most dominant constraints that impedes women’s land right in the study area. Moreover, in the study area women’s are less represented in leadership positions and rural land administration council. Of the independent socioeconomic variables sex, educational status and family size are appeared to be statistically significant association with land ownership. Finally it is suggested that awareness creation campaign and proportional representation of women in decision making process and local land administration councils needs urgent response.},
 year = {2015}
}

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T1  - Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia
AU  - Teshome Yirgu Bayu
Y1  - 2015/07/07
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AB  - Women are the most marginalized and disadvantaged group of society in relation to accessing and controlling land in rural Ethiopia. The study critically reviews and analyzes the status of rural women in access to and control over land in three purposefully selected rural kebeles of Gamo highlands, SNNPR on smallholder farmers. In the study mixed research approaches including qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Survey of 164 households mainly females were conducted administrating questionnaires in the quantitative methods. The qualitative method applied was group discussion and interviews and personal observation. In the study descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. The findings clearly depicted that in the study area female headed households owned 0.52 ha farmland compared to 0.86 ha of their male counterpart, where the average holding at the national level and Gamo highland is0.96 and 0.92 ha respectively. Though, Ethiopia’s legal framework is progressive in its support to women’s land rights, due to harmful customary practices, patriarchal orientation and traditional social norms towards female in Gamo highland female do not own and control rural land, and even inherit land from their family and death of husband. The study further noted that among socio-cultural and institutional factors discriminatory cultural practices (60%), low awareness of women on their land right (19.4%), challenge of law enforcement (10.3%) and women’s position in the society (4.7%) are the most dominant constraints that impedes women’s land right in the study area. Moreover, in the study area women’s are less represented in leadership positions and rural land administration council. Of the independent socioeconomic variables sex, educational status and family size are appeared to be statistically significant association with land ownership. Finally it is suggested that awareness creation campaign and proportional representation of women in decision making process and local land administration councils needs urgent response.
VL  - 3
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Teshome Yirgu Bayu

Department of Geography and Environmental Study, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

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Teshome Yirgu Bayu. (2015). Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(4), 149-154. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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ACS Style

Teshome Yirgu Bayu. Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2015, 3(4), 149-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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AMA Style

Teshome Yirgu Bayu. Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia. Humanit Soc Sci. 2015;3(4):149-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14,
  author = {Teshome Yirgu Bayu},
  title = {Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {149-154},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20150304.14},
  abstract = {Women are the most marginalized and disadvantaged group of society in relation to accessing and controlling land in rural Ethiopia. The study critically reviews and analyzes the status of rural women in access to and control over land in three purposefully selected rural kebeles of Gamo highlands, SNNPR on smallholder farmers. In the study mixed research approaches including qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Survey of 164 households mainly females were conducted administrating questionnaires in the quantitative methods. The qualitative method applied was group discussion and interviews and personal observation. In the study descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. The findings clearly depicted that in the study area female headed households owned 0.52 ha farmland compared to 0.86 ha of their male counterpart, where the average holding at the national level and Gamo highland is0.96 and 0.92 ha respectively. Though, Ethiopia’s legal framework is progressive in its support to women’s land rights, due to harmful customary practices, patriarchal orientation and traditional social norms towards female in Gamo highland female do not own and control rural land, and even inherit land from their family and death of husband. The study further noted that among socio-cultural and institutional factors discriminatory cultural practices (60%), low awareness of women on their land right (19.4%), challenge of law enforcement (10.3%) and women’s position in the society (4.7%) are the most dominant constraints that impedes women’s land right in the study area. Moreover, in the study area women’s are less represented in leadership positions and rural land administration council. Of the independent socioeconomic variables sex, educational status and family size are appeared to be statistically significant association with land ownership. Finally it is suggested that awareness creation campaign and proportional representation of women in decision making process and local land administration councils needs urgent response.},
 year = {2015}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Socio-cultural and Policy Related Constraints to Women’s Land Right: A Case Study from Gamo Highland, SW Ethiopia
AU  - Teshome Yirgu Bayu
Y1  - 2015/07/07
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 149
EP  - 154
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20150304.14
AB  - Women are the most marginalized and disadvantaged group of society in relation to accessing and controlling land in rural Ethiopia. The study critically reviews and analyzes the status of rural women in access to and control over land in three purposefully selected rural kebeles of Gamo highlands, SNNPR on smallholder farmers. In the study mixed research approaches including qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Survey of 164 households mainly females were conducted administrating questionnaires in the quantitative methods. The qualitative method applied was group discussion and interviews and personal observation. In the study descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. The findings clearly depicted that in the study area female headed households owned 0.52 ha farmland compared to 0.86 ha of their male counterpart, where the average holding at the national level and Gamo highland is0.96 and 0.92 ha respectively. Though, Ethiopia’s legal framework is progressive in its support to women’s land rights, due to harmful customary practices, patriarchal orientation and traditional social norms towards female in Gamo highland female do not own and control rural land, and even inherit land from their family and death of husband. The study further noted that among socio-cultural and institutional factors discriminatory cultural practices (60%), low awareness of women on their land right (19.4%), challenge of law enforcement (10.3%) and women’s position in the society (4.7%) are the most dominant constraints that impedes women’s land right in the study area. Moreover, in the study area women’s are less represented in leadership positions and rural land administration council. Of the independent socioeconomic variables sex, educational status and family size are appeared to be statistically significant association with land ownership. Finally it is suggested that awareness creation campaign and proportional representation of women in decision making process and local land administration councils needs urgent response.
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
ER  -

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