A Study of the Extent of Social Empowerment of Rural Women in Legehida Woreda, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Despite the necessity of utilization untapped potential of men and women, failure to address gender based differences bring about disparities in development in general and in Agricultural extension in particular. Thus it requires gender empowerment in multi dimension of the development activities. This study focused on impediments and prospects of empowerment in the study area. A multi-stage sampling procedure and systemic random methods were used to select three KAs and 90 sample respondents. Interview schedules and focus group discussions were adopted for data collection. Descriptive statistics was employed for data analysis. To assess whether gender is mainstreamed in agricultural extension or not, any benefit, role and responsibilities, involvement and any situation of women against men was compared in two different ways. Men and women are compared on gender issues that are related to households as a whole on the one hand and husbands and wives are compared on gender issues that are concerned with relations between spouses. Husbands and wives are compared on gender issues that consider both of them at individual level. The study was focused on extent of social relation, freedom of mobility, time availability, access and control over resource, decision making authority, participation and intra violence that preclude empowerment. The study reveals that there exists violence in both wives and husbands and was expressed differently. However violence in husband was lower than in wives. Wives are restricted in mobility mostly by their spouse. Wives have less control due to the fact that their control over resources is mostly handled by husbands only or joint control. Decision making power of wives is found to be less on most of productivity xv determinant issues. Husbands have more extension opportunities than wives. Because wives have less extension contact; less training and got the least extension services as compared to husbands. Therefore, in order to revive the integration of agricultural policy it is recommended to use cells, women organizations and health posts as a medium through which agricultural extension message is transmitted to women at KA level.