Relationship between young women and parents in rural Ethiopia

In rural Ethiopia, parents play an important role in the major life events of their daughters such as education and marriage. However, parents’ roles have been evolving, likely due to the rapid expansion of educational opportunities for girls and the growing need of cash income among rural households. Currently, encouraging their daughters to take up further education and jobs in the formal sector contrasts with rural Ethiopian women’s conventional life course events in the past, which are characterized by early marriage and low educational profiles. An interview analysis with parents of young women indicated that under the continuing de-agrarianization among rural households, women are expected to have their own cash income generating activities to qualify as marriage partners.

Poverty Analysis of Ethiopian Females in the Amhara Region: Utilizing BMI as an Indicator of Poverty

This paper analyzes poverty-affected females in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. As the measurement of poverty, the paper uses body mass index (BMI) because it is one of the effective tools for measuring individual poverty level. The results of the BMI analysis show that the most poverty-affected female group is the female household heads in urban areas. The results, however, should be treated carefully considering the different social and economic structure of urban and rural areas, and the interdependent relationship between these two areas. In rural areas, access to land is the biggest issue affecting the BMI, while in urban areas, the occupation of husbands or partners is more important. These differences by area do not mean that there is no intersection between the urban and rural female groups because the majority of females in urban areas migrated from rural areas to urban areas due to various reasons such as divorce, marriage, and job opportunities.

Young women's economic daily lives in rural Ethiopia

In rural Ethiopia, livelihood diversification is essential for households to be able to sustain themselves. Declining agricultural profits and a land shortage have accelerated this diversification. While the past literature has ignored young women's economic contributions in its discussions about livelihood diversification, this research indicates that the current rapid educational expansion for girls has changed their economic role in their households. This has resulted in changes in the conventional life courses of women in rural Ethiopia as they have more choices in terms of education, marriage, and the types and location of their economic activities, due to the increasing importance of young women's economic contributions to their households and their improved educational opportunities. The aim of this paper is to elucidate how the economic environment and government educational policy have affected young women's lives in terms of education, marriage, economic activities, and intra-household power relationships, especially with their parents.

ケニア・サンブル女性の結婚をめぐる主体性の創出過程 -- 恋愛結婚・非婚に注目して

ケニアのサンブル女性には、従来、みずからの結婚の時期についても相手についても、いっさい何の決定権もなく、ただ決められた結婚にしたがうという選択肢しか与えられていなかった。また、「恋愛結婚」をする人は、例外的には存在してきたが、「規範の逸脱者」としてネガティブにとらえられてきた。しかしながら近年、サンブルの結婚の形態は大きく変わりつつある。学校教育を受けた女性を中心に未婚の母となる女性が増加し、彼女らのなかには、出産後に恋愛相手と結婚する人や生涯独身をつらぬこうとする人も登場している。本稿では、サンブルの女性が、いかなる背景のもとに、どのような方法で、みずからの結婚にかんする主体性を創出しているのかを、いくつかの事例から明らかにする。