Education and Training in Ethiopia An Evaluation of Approaching EFA Goals

The following chapter will examine the context of women’s life and in the light of theabove objectives.3.6 Women’s Life Context in EthiopiaThough some clauses in the country’s 1960 Civil Code are discriminatory and violate theprinciples of the 1994 Ethiopian Constitution, there are a number of legal provisions thatbenefit women in significant ways. However, legal literacy is very low and most womenare unaware of their statutory rights. This is a key reason for the non-enforcement of lawsin personal disputes. Provision of dispute resolution services is also limited.The Government has demonstrated its commitment to promoting the equitable socioeconomicdevelopment of women by the establishment of the National Policy for Womenin 1993 and its promulgation of the new Constitution in 1994 (Transitional Government ofEthiopia, 1993). The aim of the National Policy for Women is to institutionalize thepolitical and socio-economic rights of women by creating appropriate structures ingovernment institutions so that public policies and interventions are gender-sensitive andgeared towards ensuring equitable development for all Ethiopians (FDRE, 1998b).The Women’s Affairs Office has been established under the Prime Minister’s Office inorder to design a strategy that would allow women to contribute to and benefit from thecountry’s on-going democratization, judicial reform and economic reconstructionprocesses. In the ministries, commissions and other institutions of central government,women’s affairs departments (WAD) have been set up at the departmental level. Atregional level, implementation of gender-specific policies is promoted by the establishmentof regional women’s affairs offices (FDRE & UNICEF, 2001). The latest attempt to enhancewomen’s social position and opportunities is the Gender and Development Program ofAction supported by UNICEF. Approved in August 2001, its main objective is to overcomeall kinds of discrimination against women and to establish their equality with men.The high prevalence of illiteracy among women makes it difficult for them toparticipate in society. The World Bank and the Government (1998) have noted therelatively low involvement of women in development interventions: Women are unable tobenefit equitably from existing opportunities because of their low social and economicstatus, as well as technical reasons, such as the lack of facilities or transportation. Also,women are not usually members of formal groups such as cooperatives and associations. Ifat all, they tend to belong to informal and traditional groups. The customary laws andpractices are patriarchal and hinder women’s access to resources both within and outsidethe household. The same tendency can be noted also in the very low representation ofwomen in the Parliament – 7.7 per cent, which is only slightly more than half the regionalaverage, 12.4 per cent (FDRE, 2001c).In general, Ethiopia is a country that has several traditional practices with potentialharmful effects to the health of a person. The NCTPE (1998) has made a list of 88 harmfultraditional practices (HTP) observed in the country. The list includes also some customswhere the harm cannot be demonstrated, but a majority of them can severely maim aperson. Among the HTPs related to women or female children are FGM, early marriage,27