To Empower Ethiopian Women

A Minor Field Study of how the Gender Reforms of the

Ethiopian Government impact on Non-Governmental

Organisations work with Women Empowerment

Author: Frida Tegnell

Supervisor: Staffan Andersson

Examiner: Karl Loxbo

Term: Fall 2019

Subject: Political Science

Level: Bachelor

Course code: 2SK31E

Bachelor Thesis

Abstract Ethiopia is a country that for centuries has been dominated by men.

However, since 2018, the Prime Minister Abiye Ahmed has introduced

gender reforms, including a gender balanced cabinet. The purpose of this

study is to evaluate how the gender reforms affect three non-governmental

organisations (NGOs) in their work to empower women. The paper focuses

on the following research questions: 1) How do non-governmental

organisations work with women empowerment in Ethiopia? 2) To what

extent and how have non-governmental organisations been affected by the

gender reforms of the Ethiopian government that took office in 2018? 3)

How have Ethiopian women been affected by the gender reforms of the

Ethiopian government that took office in 2018 according to non-

governmental organisations? The paper follows the theoretical framework by

Dibie and Dibie, and Bratton as analytical framework. The methodological

framework that has been used is a qualitative method, conducting semi-

structured interviews. The NGOs main approach in relation to women

empowerment is Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Women Watch Groups. The

NGOs are unanimous that the gender reforms have improved NGOs

relationship with the government due to a new law that was implemented in

relation to the reforms. Finally, the NGOs have a positive image of Ethiopian

women’s future and argues that the gender reforms empower women.

Key words

Ethiopia, Gender Equality, Gender Reforms, Government, NGO, Women,

Women Empowerment.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I would like to show my gratitude to the Swedish International

Cooperation Agency (Sida) for financing this Minor Field Study and for

making it possible. Secondly, I would like to give my appreciation to my

supervisor, Staffan Andersson who has supported and guided me all the way.

Thirdly, I would like to give a special thanks to my contact person in field

who has helped me find suitable NGOs and to organise the interviews.

Lastly, I would like to show my appreciation to the NGOs: CoSAP, JeCCDO

and ANPPCAN – Ethiopia for participating in my thesis.

Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1

1.1 Purpose and Research Questions 3 1.2 Structure of the Thesis 3

2. Gender Equality in Ethiopia: The Position of Women and what Gender Reform is about 4

2.1 Women’s Position in Ethiopia 4 2.2 Gender Reforms in Ethiopia 5

3. Theoretical Framework 7 3.1 Empowerment of Women 7

3.1.1 Religion, Culture and Tradition 8 3.1.2 Diversity Management and Equal Employment 9 3.1.3 Women’s Political Leadership 9 3.1.4 Protection of Women from HIV/AIDS 9 3.1.5 Women’s Equity in the Society 10

3.2 NGOs Relationship with the Government 10 3.3 Summary: Framework for Analysis 13

4. Methodological Framework 13 4.1 Research Design 13 4.2 Background Information About the NGOs 14 4.3 Conducting the Interviews 16 4.4 Ethical Considerations 17 4.5 Material 17

4.5.1 Criticism of the Material and Sources 18 5. Results and Analysis 19

5.1 NGOs Work with Women Empowerment 20 5.1.1 CoSAP 20 5.1.2 JeCCDO 21 5.1.3 ANPPCAN – Ethiopia 23

5.2 The Impact on NGOs of Gender Reforms 27 5.2.1 CoSAP 27 5.2.2 JeCCDO 28 5.2.3 ANPPCAN – Ethiopia 29

5.3 The Gender Reforms Impact on Women 33 5.3.1 CoSAP 33 5.3.2 JeCCDO 34 5.3.3 ANPPCAN - Ethiopia 36

6. Conclusion 39 7. Bibliography 43 Appendix 49

List of Abbreviations

ANPPCAN - Ethiopia - Association for National Planned Program for

vulnerable Children And in Need

CSO Law – Civil Society Organisational Law

CoSAP - Consortium of Self Help Group Approach Promoters

EPRDE – Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front

FGM – Female Genital Mutilation

JeCCDO - Jerusalem Children and Community Organization

NGO – Non-Governmental Organisation

SHG – Self Help Group

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1. Introduction

The importance of gender equality has been debated, advocated and argued

for over more than a century (Fissiha Hailu, 2017). According to Inglehart,

Norris and Welzel (2002), the support of gender equality is necessary for the

process of democratisation and modernisation. Similarly, it is necessary for

the development and maintenance of a sustainable environment, equally it is

relatable to the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030. According to

the United Nations (2019), gender equality is a fundamental human right and

the 5th goal is about achieving gender equality and empower all women. In

particular one of the goal 5 targets (5.5), is about empowerment and to:

“Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for

leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public

life” (United Nations, 2019).

The emphasis on equal rights and women empowerment is expanding all

over the world. This is true for countries like Sweden, which is one of the

most gender equal countries in the world, and in countries like Ethiopia that

is one of the most gender unequal countries in the world (World Economic

Forum, 2018). Moreover, women all over the world are raising their voices,

hoping and dreaming for a world with equal rights.

Ethiopia is at the moment experiencing what has been called a “Female

Revolution” by the media (TV4, 2019). Female Revolution refers to the

actions taken by the recently elected Prime Minister Abiye Ahmed regarding

gender equality on national level. Ethiopia is now ruled by a gender equal

cabinet in terms of female and male members. Moreover, the president is a

woman for the first time in Ethiopia’s history (Freedom House, 2019).

Despite this, Ethiopia is still ranked as one of the most gender unequal

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countries in the world and sums up at place number 117 out of 149 countries

on the Global Gender Gap 2018. Global Gender Gap measures differences

between men and women’s possibilities according to economy, education

and health (World Economic Forum, 2018).

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia constitution certifies gender

equality by outlawing all sorts of discrimination concerning gender on

national level. In order to execute constitutions and policies on local level,

laws regarding discrimination of women has been revised to establish gender

equality (Fissiha Hailu, 2017). However, that the Ethiopian constitution

formally gives women the same rights as men, does not mean this is the case

in practice: the position of women is still weak. The raping culture is

widespread, child marriage is common, women are exposed to female genital

mutilation (FGM), domestic violence is unrecorded, and it is difficult for

women to enter the labour market due to stereotypical norms

(Regeringskansliet, 2015-2016).

Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDE) has

recognised the discrimination Ethiopian women experience, and the coalition

party has implemented gender reforms on national level in order to recognise

the country’s gender issues and improve women’s rights. The issue they and

the country are facing is how to translate reforms into local practice and real

change (Lavers, 2017).

Against this background the Ethiopian case provides an interesting context

for our understanding of how equality can be advanced by reforms and what

the different obstacles and possibilities are.

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1.1 Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this research is to study how the gender reforms that the

government has undertaken since taking office in 2018, are being perceived

by three non-governmental organisations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in

relation to their possibilities to work for women empowerment. The three

non-governmental organisations selected for study are: Consortium of Self

Help Group Approach Promoters (CoSAP), Jerusalem Children and

Community Organization (JeCCDO) and Association for National Planned

Program for vulnerable Children And in Need (ANPPCAN – Ethiopia).

The research questions are the following:

1. How do non-governmental organisations work with women

empowerment in Ethiopia?

2. To what extent and how have non-governmental organisations

been affected by the gender reforms of the Ethiopian government

that took office in 2018?

3. How have Ethiopian women been affected by the gender reforms

of the Ethiopian government that took office in 2018 according to

non-governmental organisations?

1.2 Structure of the Thesis The structure of the thesis contains 6 chapters. Next, chapter 2 provides a

discussion of the position of Ethiopian women and a presentation of the

gender reforms that the government has implemented are being presented.

Chapter 3 contains the Theoretical Framework of the study which firstly

defines gender equality and women empowerment. It is followed by a

discussion to identify factors of importance for how women empowerment

can be achieved with help of NGOs and, factors that affect NGOs and

governments relations. The chapter ends with a summary of the analytical

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framework. Moving on to chapter 4, the Methodological Framework firstly

lays out the research design of this case study and secondly why I have

selected to study the three NGOs studied in this thesis. Moving on, I describe

how the interviews were carried out. The chapter ends with a critical

discussion of the material used. Chapter 5 contains Results and Analysis

where the chapter is divided into three sections that follows the three

research questions that guide the presentation and an analysis is guided by

the analytical framework. Chapter 6 contains the Conclusion of the research

questions and a discussion of the main results. It also includes a discussion of

ideas for further research based on the results of this study.

2. Gender Equality in Ethiopia: The Position of

Women and what Gender Reform is about

The chapter starts with a brief description of the position of women in

Ethiopia and then present the gender reforms introduced by the government.

Given the scope and interest of this study in how recent gender reforms have

affected the work of NGOs and the situation for women, this presentation

concerns the reforms of the government of Abiye Ahmed who became prime

minister in April 2018 (Freedom House, 2019).

2.1 Women’s Position in Ethiopia The Ethiopian constitution: article 35 “The rights of women” in large,

highlights the importance of women’s equality with men in all aspects of life

and that women are not allowed to be discriminated due to their gender

(Mamo Bekano, 2019). What makes it interesting is how the formal rights

promote complete equality between the genders. However, this is in stark

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contrast to the situation in real life, where Ethiopian women face inequality

in several fields of life. Accordingly, Ethiopia is a patriarchal society. As

explained by Cherinet and Mulugeta (2003), that it is due to the country’s

culture and religion which has divided men and women in many areas.

Ethiopian women’s main responsibility is for the household and the children.

They are usually stationed at home with household duties and are dependent

on their husband’s income. It is not unusual that the identity of a woman in

Ethiopia is bound to the family life and that women are mainly defined by

their roles of mother and wife (Mamo Bekano, 2019). Furthermore, in many

areas of Ethiopia, women are exposed to harmful, traditional practices such

as FGM, child marriage and abduction (Cherinet & Mulugeta, 2003).

2.2 Gender Reforms in Ethiopia Several reforms have been introduced by the party in government in relation

to women’s rights. In 2000 the revised Federal Family Code was introduced

which lays down that during a divorce, the property and assets will be

equally divided between men and women (Kumar & Quisumbing, 2015). It

also raised the legal age for marriage from 15 to 18 years (Mamo Bekano,

2019). By 2003, a community-based land registration was established which

means that a husband and a wife share a certification which in turn means

that it is easier for women to claim their rights of their land (Kumar &

Quisumbing, 2015). There are also improvements in other fields. Women

nowadays have permission to participate in training and meetings, save

money in their own name, take loans, participate in livelihood activities and

have greater freedom in relation to participate in activities and community

networks. Manlosa, Schultner, Dorresteijn & Fischer (2018) argue that what

can be determined is that there have been gender reforms introduced, but

what still is a question mark is to what extent these reforms are felt in

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practice by women, and whether women and men are treated as equals

(Manlosa, Schultner, Dorresteijn & Fischer, 2018).

To demonstrate the cause of these reforms and the reasons for their

implementation, parts of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiye Ahmed’s

inaugural address towards the women of Ethiopia will be presented:

Even though the government has taken steps to ensure that

benefits are accruing to women and recognise their all-rounded

contribution to the progress of our country, we believe what we

have done falls far short in comparison to that which have not

been done […]. In the future, I have great hope that the women

of our country will utilise the talents nature have blessed you

with to continue to play a positive role in our country’s growth

and its prosperity and for the success of our politics. Our national

identity is meaningless without the participation of Ethiopian

women.

(Abiye Ahmed, 2018)

Since the inaugural address, the prime minister has introduced a gender

balanced cabinet. Besides that, the country’s president is a woman, the

chief justice is a woman and the prime minister’s press secretary is a

woman. Moreover, several significant minister posts have been

assigned to women in the departments of defense, transport, industry

and commerce for instance. With his actions, he has drastically

changed Ethiopia’s political landscape and is determined to blur out

gender inequalities starting from the top (Freedom House, 2019).

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3. Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework will be presented with the aim of relating to

literature in the field and using previous research to develop the foundations

and guidelines for the study in relation to my research questions. First, I

discuss important concepts with a focus on gender equality and women

empowerment. Then I present the analytical framework for this study. In the

final section I make a summary of the discussion to outline my analytical

framework.

3.1 Empowerment of Women One main concept in this study is gender equality given its importance for

gender reforms and relationship to empowerment. Osawa (2000) argue that

gender equality can be defined as a society where women and men have the

opportunity to be equal members and have the ability to involve in activities

in every area of life by their own choice.

Another one of the main concepts in the study is women empowerment. The

author Dighe (2016) explains in an article that “Empowerment is a process of

acquiring knowledge and awareness which enables them to move towards

life with greater dignity and self-assurance” (Dighe, 2016:1). The main word

of empower is power, which in turn means to have the ability to achieve

one’s desired, economic, social and political status or goals. Empower

therefor means to become powerful. In relation to women empowerment,

Dighe continues with arguing that empowered women are a nation’s power

and that women need to be empowered in every aspect of life. To be

empowered, women need to overrule the system of gender biases (Dighe,

2016).

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Furthermore, in relation to NGOs and its significance for women

empowerment, Fissiha Hailu argues in an article that Ethiopian NGOs are

important for women with lower status since they can support women in

different aspects such as education and improvement of self-confidence

(Fissiha Hailu, 2017).

Similarly, the authors Dibie and Dibie (2012) discuss how women

empowerment can be attained in Africa. They highlight different important

aspects that are important for the work with women empowerment and

explain in detail how NGOs in particular can contribute to women

empowerment in the African content. Dibie and Dibie’s research is suitable

for the theoretical foundation for this study since it helps us highlight

different important aspects that are important for the work with women

empowerment and how it can be achieved. Therefore, these aspects will

work as a guidance in relation to research questions 1 and 3 when I later in

the empirical party of the study try to establish how NGOs work with women

empowerment, and if and to what extent Ethiopian women has been

empowered by reforms in the eyes of NGOs. In the text below I will outline

these factors.

3.1.1 Religion, Culture and Tradition Africa is a continent with more than a thousand languages and ethnic groups

with very diverse cultures and traditions. Some of these cultures and

traditions have been pointed out as obstacles for the development of a

modern society as well as human rights (Dibie & Dibie, 2012). Therefore,

NGOs can have an important role in changing such obstacles that violate

women’s rights. On the other hand, to increase women’s rights NGOs should

reinforce cultures that are positive and encourage gender equality. In order to

accomplish this, strengthening of human rights education is required. To

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achieve a change for the better for women that are being exposed to harmful

traditions that include child marriage and FGM, it is crucial to improve

education about sexual health and life-skills, as well as developing a

functional communication with traditional stakeholders (Dibie & Dibie,

2002).

3.1.2 Diversity Management and Equal Employment Dibie and Dibie (2002) argue that many NGOs in Africa are involved in

work to improve their way of removing prejudice. By doing so, they not only

hire a broader section of people, but they also promote the opportunity to

establish a field where diverse groups can grow. However, in order to

empower women, men need to be educated in how to accept women as their

equal.

3.1.3 Women’s Political Leadership NGOs needs to highlight that women need to be prioritised in development

processes. Dibie and Dibie (2002) claims that it is necessary to first give

priority to people and families before materialism, like infrastructure.

Therefor it is crucial for NGOs to invest in education and welfare for women,

women’s rights and women’s opportunities. To give women priority is

therefore important for Africa’s sustainable development and NGOs plays an

important role in it.

3.1.4 Protection of Women from HIV/AIDS Since of HIV/AIDS is an important issue in Africa, it is important for NGOs

to operate within this field. Dibie and Dibie (2002) argues that it can be

performed with the implementation of health movements and programs that

works to come up with solutions related to HIV/AIDS and also collaborate

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with clinics in order to limit the spread. It is important with education within

this field in order to decrease the spread of the disease.

3.1.5 Women’s Equity in the Society Both men and women take part in the process of development. Women

should therefore be recognised as equal partners to men since they provide

half of the population. To accomplish this in Africa, NGOs need to foster

education in relation to gender rights and they should encourage women’s

sexual rights, control of their freedom to their bodies and also, escape

discrimination and sexual violence (Dibie & Dibie, 2012).

3.2 NGOs Relationship with the Government Given that a large aspect of the study takes an interest in NGOs and

therefore, it is important to establish the definition of an NGO and their

status in the civil society. The authors Karns, Minst and Stiles argues that

NGOs are main members of networks and coalitions. It is voluntary

organisations that has been developed by individuals in order to attain a

mutual purpose. Mostly NGOs are working with one specific issue, but there

are also NGOs working with broader issues like human rights and they can

be found on national or international levels, as well as grassroots levels

(Karns, Minst & Stiles, 2015).

The author Clarke (1993) argues in an article that there are several factors

that influence NGOs development of influence. These factors are at many

times dependent on the relationship between the NGO sector and the state.

Clark claims that in some countries NGOs plays a vital role in the

development processes but in others, NGOs are weak due to that the

governments are suspicious towards them. To maintain a healthy relationship

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between NGOs and the state, it requires that both parties share the same

goals and values. To achieve a functioning collaborative relationship

government needs a positive social agenda and that NGOs are efficient. A

genuine collaboration is also possible when both parties share the same

solutions without any competition but instead can complete each other.

Despite this, there is a risk of the partners wanting to achieve different goals

which in turn can create friction.

However, Clark argues that these kinds of healthy relationships are not very

common due to envy and lack of trust since governments fear that NGOs will

undermine their political power. In relation to NGOs point of view, they

usually mistrust governments motivation as well as its officials (Clarke,

1993).

Another author, Bratton (1987) argues in an article that the relationship

between NGOs and governments in Africa is rather complex due to that both

partners operate in the international arena. African governments have the

tendency of acting as gatekeepers in relation to NGOs within the states

borders and agencies outside of the borders. Moreover, since governments

and NGOs are structured differently and use different approaches in relation

to rural development, the author argues that they sometimes clash. In relation

to Africa which Bratton has studied specifically, NGOs and governments are

usually able to cooperate and prevent conflicts that are open. The relations

between the two partners vary from place to place and also from time to time

in Africa.

However, there are some factors to review affecting the relationship between

NGOs and governments. Firstly, it depends upon the governance system. If

the system is of civilian constitution and it allows association’s freedom, it is

more likely for NGOs operation rather than military. Multi-party systems are

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more likely to be acceptant towards NGOs rather than single-party states.

Over more, it is easier for NGOs to operate in countries with weak political

parties. Secondly, the policy regime is a factor that influence the relationship.

For example, a government with a liberal economic policy can be expected

to be more positive towards NGOs and that foreign funders are important

actors in relation to the environment of NGOs. Thirdly, an important factor is

the administrative capacity. It decides to what degree NGOs are free to

function unhindered. Moreover, the extent of NGOs activity is another factor.

Is the NGO small, governments can be determined that it is not important

rather than if it would have been large. Furthermore, the geographical

location of the NGO is important because NGOs that are working with for

instance refugees or minorities might touch sensitive problems according to

governments. Content is another affecting factor of NGOs program. It is

possible that NGOs and governments differ in relation to methods being

used. Bratton argues that the existence of NGOs is a test for governments

position. If a government is exposed to a frail political legitimacy, the less

tolerant it will be towards a powerful voluntary sector (Bratton, 1987).

Clarke’s research and Bratton’s research are both unanimous that the

relationship between governments and NGOs can be complex. Since

Bratton’s article is focused on Africa it is suitable for this study due to the

Ethiopian context. Since we want to establish the relationship between the

NGOs and the government and what factors that can possibly contribute to it,

Bratton’s article makes a good tribute to establish what effects the

governments gender reforms possibly could have on the NGOs due to its

relation and help us elucidate research question 2. Bratton’s factors can help

us understand how it has been affected by the gender reforms in a both

positive and negative sense.

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3.3 Summary: Framework for Analysis In this section I summarise how the theoretical framework will serve. In

relation to research question 1 and 3 I will focus on the aspects that was

derived from Dibie and Dibie’s research: religion, culture and tradition;

diversity, management and equal employment; women’s political leadership;

protection of women from HIV/AIDS (research question 1) and finally;

women’s equity in the society.

Research question 2 will be evaluated based on Bratton’s factors that affect

NGOs relationship with governments: the governance system, the policy

regime, the administrative capacity, the extent of NGOs activity, the

geographical location of the NGO, and lastly, the content.

4. Methodological Framework

In this chapter I present and discuss the research design I use and the method

and material. Firstly, I discuss the research design and why I have chosen to

conduct a case study, and why Ethiopia. Then I outline why I have selected

the three particular NGOs that I will study. Moreover, I explain how I have

conducted the interviews. Furthermore, I have lined up ethical considerations

to bear in mind while performing the interviews which is followed by

material from the interviews but also for the empirical study. Lastly, I have

mentioned critique of this material and what to consider when using it.

4.1 Research Design This study is a study of non-governmental organisations work to contribute

to women empowerment. This study is a case study of Ethiopia. A case study

is suitable when we want to understand how NGOs contribute in their work

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of women empowerment and how their possibilities to achieve this is

affected by the government. A case study provides the study the opportunity

to aim for high levels of conceptual validity and is appropriate due to the

possibilities of new variables. By only focusing on one case, it makes the

study more concentrated (George & Bennet, 2005). Furthermore, the thesis

uses a qualitative methodology with an abductive approach which means that

the analytical framework will work as a framework, or as a lens for the data.

The data will then be analysed and interpreted through the lens (Lowndes,

Marsh & Stoker, 2017).

4.2 Background Information About the NGOs With help from my contact person in field, I have selected three NGOs

working with women empowerment in Ethiopia for study. The NGOs are:

Consortium of Self Help Group Approach Promoters (CoSAP), Jerusalem

Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO) and lastly,

Association for National Planned Program for vulnerable Children And in

Need (ANPPCAN – Ethiopia).

In the process of selecting organisations I got help from my contact person at

JeCCDO who has great experience within this field. I got the initial

recommendation to contact JeCCDO from the Swedish Embassy in Addis

Ababa. The NGOs operate in several fields of the Ethiopian civil society

such as with orphan and vulnerable children. However, this study is focused

on the work of women empowerment they are operating only. Furthermore,

these NGOs provide the study a closeup and realistic image of the country’s

situation rather than if it would have been international organisations that

might not be as included within the Ethiopian society as these NGOs are

expected to be. The NGOs were selected because they are well established

within the field of interest for this study and they can provide a wide range of

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perspectives on women empowerment since they are located in several

regions of Ethiopia. Moreover, by using three NGOs it gives the study a

width rather than less. In the following text the NGOs will briefly be

presented in their work of empowering women.

CoSAP is an NGO with a network 28 of non-profit organisations that are

committed to the support of the Self Help Group (SHG) approach

(Consortium of Self Help Group Approach Promoters (CoSAP), n.d.a).

CoSAP are organising SHGs for the empowerment of women in order to

improve quality of life. Furthermore, CoSAP in support of member

organisations arrange studies and workshops (CoSAP, n.d.b).

JeCCDO is an NGO established in 1985 in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

(Jerusalen Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO),

n.d.a). In relation to empowerment of women, JeCCDO promotes a

mechanism called Self Help Group (SHG) which unify economic and social

angles of a community’s development which in turn results in strengthening

women.

ANPPCAN - Ethiopia is an NGO that was established in 1990 and focuses

on several areas such as sexual reproductive health, empowerment of women

and they also develop programs with main focus on education (Association

for National Planned Program for vulnerable Children And in Need

(ANPPCAN – Ethiopia), n.d.a). They strive to expand economic and social

empowerment of women that are disadvantaged. (ANPPCAN - Ethiopia,

n.d.b).

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4.3 Conducting the Interviews The interviews have been held at the NGOs offices individually, and at the

beginning of every semi-structured interview the interviewer has firstly

carefully present the aim of the study and asked the respondent if there are

any questions before we have continued.

The interviews have been recorded with the participants approval and there

has been a questionnaire were the interviewer have asked the participants

questions from a form that has been designed beforehand. The questionnaire

contains 3 themes in relation to the research questions and there are 18

questions in total. The questions are related to the theoretical framework and

work as a frame for the construction of the questionnaire. During the

interviews the interviewer has except for recording, also been taking notes in

order to not go too fast forward and miss out on reflections or follow-up

questions (Esaiasson et al., 2017).

The respondent’s selected for interviews have been from various positions

within the NGOs in order to give the study a width, but to protect the

respondent’s identities, the positions of the respondents will not be

mentioned. However, the respondents are both men and women.

Furthermore, the interviews that was completed lasted 25 – 70 minutes and

in total 10 interviews were conducted. Due to that the size of the offices of

these three NGOs varies (around 10 employees at CoSAP, 30 at JeCCDO

and 9 at ANPPCAN – Ethiopia) the number of interviewees from each

organisation also varies: 6 from JeCCDO, 2 from CoSAP and 2 from

ANPPCAN – Ethiopia.

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4.4 Ethical Considerations When conducting the interviews there have been a few things to consider.

Firstly, the respondents of the NGOs have been well informed about the

purpose of the thesis and what it will be used for and that participation is

voluntary, and they could decide not to take part any time. Secondly, they

have also been ensured that their information will be used confidentially and

in order to protect the respondent’s identities, the recordings will be erased

after finished transcription. Thirdly, during the interviews they have given

their consent before and during the recording and they have all been over 18

years old. Furthermore, the interviews have been held at the NGOs offices in

order to keep it professional, but also to make the respondents comfortable

since that has a significance for the outcome of the interviews (Esaiasson,

Gilljan, Oscarsson, Towns & Wängnerud, 2017).

4.5 Material As mentioned, the thesis concerns a Minor Field Study using a qualitative

methodology in combination of primary data in form of face to face semi-

structured interviews (Lowndes et al., 2017). Semi-structured interviews

provide an opportunity for open dialogues but are supported by a pre-

designed series of questions. Furthermore, it enhances the possibilities to

register answers that are unexpected, and it also eases the interaction between

the interviewer and the participant (Esaiasson et al., 2017).

Because the informants work in women empowerment roles in NGOs, the

interviews were not hindered by language issues: the informants were

professionals and interpreters were not needed. The direct communication

between the interviewer and the informant reduced the risk of

misunderstanding and provide better credibility to the findings.

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Other primary data that have been used is the NGOs background information

that have been collected from their original webpages for it to be as

trustworthy and realistic as possible. Another primary source is Abiye

Ahmed’s inaugural speech. Also, a Swedish television video by TV4 was

used: this was about the “Female Revolution” that Ethiopia is experiencing,

and was made by the Foreign Affairs Reporter, Johan Fredriksson.

Concerning secondary data, I have used literature in relation to the

methodological framework and the definition of NGOs. This is literature that

is directly focused on the aspects of relevance for this study and my

discussion. Furthermore, I have used secondary data about the Ethiopian

context in form of articles in academic journals. Webpages from trustworthy

organisations like United Nations, authorities like Regeringskansliet or the

political unbound organisation, Freedom House have been used for

information about the gender reforms that has been implemented in Ethiopia.

In relation to the theoretical framework, several sources and material have

been evaluated and presented in order to determine the possible material

within the field. The theoretical framework that has been chosen for this

study has been argued for its relativity in relation to this study and are

scientific articles.

4.5.1 Criticism of the Material and Sources When using qualitative data from semi-structured there are a few things to

consider. Firstly, what has to be kept in mind when performing the

interviews is that it is possible that the respondents may distort the answers

for their benefit or that they misinterpret the question. Secondly, the

responses of the interviews can be affected by something called interviewer

effects which means that the interviewer can unconsciously affect the

respondent’s responses with for example gestures and postures. To avoid this

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as much as possible, I have asked the respondents as straightforward and

clear questions as possible (Esaiasson et al., 2017).

When I have collected the material, I have used Esaiasson, Gilljam,

Oscarsson, Towns and Wängnerud’s technique of source criticism for it to be

as reliable as possible. This technique requires four criteria to be met:

authenticity, independency, simultaneity and tendency. Authenticity is

important for us since we need to ensure that the source is produced at the

time, context and by the persons who are being named. Independency

concerns the content in the source and involves three aspects. The first aspect

is the possibility to confirm the story, the second one is the distance between

the narrator and the story. Meaning that primary data is more credible than

secondary data. The third aspect is that the story should not have been

affected by external circumstances. Simultaneity refers to that the longer

time there is between the story and until it has been written down, the more

likely is it for lapse of memory. The last factor, tendency is related to the

narrator itself and that to never believe in a lonely tendentious source. It

needs to be supplemented with at least one other independent source

(Esaiasson et al., 2017).

5. Results and Analysis

In this chapter the relevant findings of the material will be presented. The

sections of the chapter are organised according to the three research

questions. Each section ends with an analysis based on the factors outlined in

the analytical framework presented earlier.

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5.1 NGOs Work with Women Empowerment This section concern research question 1. Firstly, we are going to focus on

the findings in relation to each of the three NGOs of the study before I make

a summary of the findings from the three NGOs. Then I analyse the findings

based on the areas outlined for this question in the theoretical framework:

religion, culture and tradition; diversity, management and equal employment;

women’s political leadership; protection of women from HIV/AIDS and

finally; women’s equity in the society.

5.1.1 CoSAP CoSAP is an umbrella organisation with 28-member organisations and their

main approach when working with women empowerment is through

something called Self Help Group (SHG) approach that will be described

later on. The NGOs doesn’t work with the SHGs directly, but indirectly with

the help of their member organisations and also called, community-based

organisations. The community-based organisations organise the SHGs in

different communities with women that needs it the most.

SHG is a group of 15-20 women from the same social, economic

background in the same neighbourhood. We are talking about the

poorest women to be organised into a group with other women

and then they meet every week […]. Then they discuss on their

social issues. (Interviewee 1)

The SHGs work in different areas of life and the main ones are the economic,

social and political areas.

When women are organised into SHGs, the first thing is that we

teach them to have opportunities in economy, social issues,

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supporting time of difficulties, challenges and also, politically.

(Interviewee 1)

These women often come from very poor backgrounds and are dependent on

their husband’s income. Therefore, it is of importance for CoSAP to

empower them economically in order for them to take care of themselves,

their children and their family. To do so, the women in the SHGs save money

together and after a while, one woman takes the money and invests it in a

business activity. Next time it is another woman from the SHG that receives

the money to invest it. This is a process that is being repeated and therefor it

is called self-help since they don’t take any handouts from CoSAP except for

training, education, management skills and so on by the community-based

organisations.

They start saving money and are starting to get involved in

different business activities. They will be economically

independent, and they exercise leadership and decision-making in

their groups, family and community (Interviewee 2)

Furthermore, the SHGs help the women to stand for their rights and fight

harmful traditional practices. They are being trained and educated within this

field which they bring home to share with their families. When the SHGs

mature, they develop into clusters which is 8-10 SHGs that forms a cluster.

5.1.2 JeCCDO Like CoSAP, JeCCDOs main approach is SHGs in order to empower

women. JeCCDO was the first NGO in Ethiopia establishing SHGs and they

are collaborating with community-based organisations.

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In our organisation we have a program called Self Help Group

approach […]. We help them to get organised (Interviewee 3)

The SHGs are not only empowering women in the economic area but are

also empowering women to believe in themselves and to speak for their

rights.

The women are becoming active, defending themselves, their

rights, challenging gender-based violence and demanding for

basic service from the local authorities and so on. (Interviewee 3)

A big issue in Ethiopia is harmful traditional practices such as FGM,

abduction and child marriage. With education from community-based

organisations and the women in the groups supporting each other, they

empower each other.

When they have the weekly meetings, they discuss social issues

such as domestic violence. The group members will then consult

and discuss about it so that she can address the problem with her

husband […]. Certain strong SHGs have been presented cases to

for example the police, and even to the court. (Interviewee 4)

Furthermore, another issue in Ethiopia is HIV/AIDS. That is one of the areas

JeCCDO is working with since women are often victims of it. One of the

interviewees explained that HIV has returned in an alarming rate due to

neglection by the civil society (Interviewee 5).

The main approach where we work on these issues is to promote

awareness and education. (Interviewee 6)

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5.1.3 ANPPCAN – Ethiopia ANPPCAN – Ethiopia works with women empowerment mainly from two

aspects. The approaches they are using is decision-making and economic

empowerment.

For the decision-making component we provide trainings,

education and also the mentorship for the leaders of women

groups, for the women associations and so on. (Interviewee 8)

The other component is economic empowerment which mainly

focus on the economic ownership and to improve the income

level of women. (Interviewee 8)

ANPPCAN – Ethiopia work with SHGs and Women Watch Groups. These

groups are two different groups, but sometimes they overlap each other. The

NGO do work with community-based organisations on occasions. However,

they work more directly with women and organise the groups by their own.

Women Watch Groups are involved in reducing and stopping

child marriage for example. They report to the government in

those situations. They report also to ANPPCAN and the police

[…]. (Interviewee 9)

They [Women Watch Groups] are doing much in creating

awareness in the general public with regard to harmful traditional

practices with focus on FGM and child marriage. (Interviewee 9)

In relation to HIV and AIDS, ANPPCAN – Ethiopia try to create awareness

of the infectious disease in the general public in all their projects.

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To summarise the NGOs work with women empowerment, it can be argued

that they work quite similarly. JeCCDO and ANPPCAN - Ethiopia are both

engaged in HIV/AIDS awareness raising. CoSAP and JeCCDOs main

approach is to organise women into SHGs with help of community-based

organisations. ANPPCAN - Ethiopia also works with SHGs but moreover

with Women Watch Groups. ANPPCAN – Ethiopia cooperate with

community-based organisations as well but are less dependent on it

compared to CoSAP and JeCCDO.

Let us now look at this question based on the aspects outlined for this

question. Concerning how the NGOs work in relation to religion, culture and

tradition, JeCCDO argues that they respect religion, cultures and traditions

(Interviewee 7). Dibie & Dibie (2012) argues in the article that it is of

importance that NGOs reinforce cultures that are positive towards women

and gender equality, which the NGOs do as long as it is in a positive sense.

On the other hand, the NGOs agree on that in regard to harmful traditional

practices, they have a role to play in opposing this and that is when they have

been organising SHGs and Women Watch Groups to prevent traditions like

child marriage and FGM (Interviewee 2, Interviewee 4 & Interviewee 9).

Interviewee 4 argues that “In order to prevent FGM, communities are highly

responsible because they know the problem and who commits the crimes.”

Therefore, it is important that NGOs like ANPPCAN – Ethiopia to have

communication with traditional stakeholders such as religious leaders in

order to inform and educate the general public about the issues (Interviewee

9). This in relation to Dibie & Dibie, is something that is necessary for the

decreasing of traditional harmful practices.

In the areas of diversity, management and equal employment Dibie and Dibie

argues that in order to manage diversity, NGOs should employ a broader

section of people and educate men in treating women as their equal. In

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relation to the three NGOs, they have explained that when they have vacant

posts, women are encouraged to apply (Interviewee 1, Interviewee 5 &

Interviewee 8). Furthermore, JeCCDO and ANPPCAN - Ethiopia maintains

gender policies in order to avoid discrimination (Interviewee 9 & Interviewee

4). Due to that JeCCDO operates in several regions of Ethiopia, they

encourage diversity and welcome employees from different cultures and

religions (Interviewee 7). CoSAP and ANPPCAN – Ethiopia encourages

diversity by encouraging people from different backgrounds to apply for

vacant posts (Interviewee 1 & Interviewee 9). The way the NGOs are

operating within this field, they promote the opportunity to establish a field

where diverse groups can grow which Dibie and Dibie promotes.

As regards to women’s political leadership, it is significant for NGOs to

work with women’s rights and to raise them in their education, welfare,

opportunities and needs. As was mentioned before, CoSAP and JeCCDO

work with SHGs that focuses on empower women political, social and

economic (Interviewee 1, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 5 &

Interviewee 6). With focus on the social and political field, they educate and

train women to stand for their rights and be empowered. With regard to

ANPPCAN - Ethiopia, they promote it as well by focusing on one of their

main components: women’s decision-making, which also focus on

empowering women to know their own rights and value (Interviewee 8 &

Interviewee 9). Just like Dibie and Dibie (2012) argues is of importance, the

NGOs invest in women’s political leadership. However, due to that Ethiopian

NGOs has not been allowed to work with political matters until recently,

they are not yet much involved with political elections, but perhaps in the

future.

In connection with the area of protecting women from HIV/AIDS, Dibie and

Dibie argue that since Africa is exposed to HIV/AIDS, NGOs need to oppose

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this by education through programs and collaborations with clinics. Since the

NGOs don’t work on medical issues, ANPPCAN - Ethiopia and JeCCDOs

main focus in relation to HIV/AIDS is awareness raising (Interviewee 3,

Interviewee 4, Interviewee 5, Interviewee 6, Interviewee 7, Interviewee 8 and

Interviewee 9). Interviewee 9 from ANPPCAN – Ethiopia argues that “HIV

is one our component in all of our project areas”. However, CoSAP doesn’t

provide a direct program for HIV/AIDS but claims that other organisations

and the government cover this area (Interviewee 1).

Finally, concerning the area of promoting women’s equity in society it was

pointed out earlier that NGOs should focus on education of gender rights,

encouragement of women’s freedom to their bodies, their sexual rights and to

escape sexual violence and discrimination. ANPPCAN - Ethiopia works with

these issues with help of Women Watch Groups who are being empowered

and educated into knowing their own rights but also, to report back to

ANPPCAN – Ethiopia or the police if one of these fields are being violated

(Interviewee 9). Similarly, CoSAP and JeCCDO organise SHGs which they

educate in these fields with help from community-based organisations

(Interviewee 1, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 4, Interviewee 5,

Interviewee 6 & Interviewee 7). Moreover, the women of SHGs, empower

each other to stand up for their freedom to their bodies in relation to FGM

and discrimination by their husbands (Interviewee 1, Interviewee 3 &

Interviewee 4)

In summary NGOs fulfil many aspects of the factors the framework points

out regarding how NGOs should work with women empowerment.

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5.2 The Impact on NGOs of Gender Reforms This section concerns research question 2. It is organised and analysed in

relation to the three NGOs and the factors identified for this question in the

analytical framework: the governance system, the policy regime, the

administrative capacity, the extent of NGOs activity, the geographical

location of the NGO, and lastly, the content.

5.2.1 CoSAP CoSAP has a positive view of the gender reforms and its impact on their

work and has a bright outlook on Ethiopia’s future concerning gender

equality.

As an NGO, this is a plus. We applauded for this and are really

happy. Because the women he is promoting are capable women.

He [the prime minister] is not only doing the reforms because

they are women, but because they are capable women, I believe.

(Interviewee 1)

A year has passed since the gender reforms implementation and one

significant factor that has been affecting CoSAP work in relation to women

empowerment is that a restricting Civil Society Organisational (CSO) law

has been lifted which now allow NGOs to work in areas like gender equality,

politic, advocacy and women empowerment, which they weren’t before

(Freedom House, 2019)

Since the prime minister and the government came in, the most

restricted NGO law has been lifted and changed into world class

NGO law. With the previous law we were not allowed to work

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on gender equality issues or human rights perspectives,

democracy, elections […]. (Interviewee 1)

Before the new CSO law, CoSAP wasn’t allowed to work with issues like

gender equality and women empowerment, so they had to tone it down. The

NGO had to be careful with which words they were using.

After the reform, our member organisations and ourselves has

started to work with women empowerment and gender equality

issues. (Interviewee 2)

The new CSO law has improved the relationship between NGOs and the

Ethiopian government since they don’t feel chased anymore and can act

more transparent.

The old law was very restricted and wanted to attack some of the

NGOs. […] Before we felt that the government was coming to

chase us but now this has changed our minds into accountability.

(Interviewee 1)

5.2.2 JeCCDO Just like CoSAP, JeCCDO has been very positive regarding the new gender

reforms. All the respondents from JeCCDO are very happy about it and

consider it to be a good start for the development of gender equality in

Ethiopia.

It is a part of the development and a change. JeCCDO is very

supportive of the reforms and appreciates it. It encourages

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JeCCDO and other NGOs who are working with gender equality.

(Interviewee 3)

In relation to how JeCCDO has been affected by the new gender reforms, the

respondents also mention the new CSO law and that it has improved NGOs

situation in many ways.

The previous CSO law was very restricting and it wasn’t possible

to talk about politics and advocacy unless they had been allowed

by the law. For example, if an NGO was to engage in politics or

advocacy issues it had to raise 90% of the fund from local

sources and only 10% by foreign funders […]. (Interviewee 4)

Due to the new CSO law, JeCCDO can now work more freely and openly

with questions related to gender equality and women empowerment. Before

the new reforms and CSO law, JeCCDO wasn’t able to express that they

were working on women rights since they were barred from this by law.

We have new initiatives that work with women empowerment

and other aspects. We’re training ourselves at groups on women

and child rights so that they can go and report to the government,

to the court whenever a child is being molested, girls being

exposed to FGM and when there is early child marriage.

(Interviewee 4)

5.2.3 ANPPCAN – Ethiopia In relation to how ANPPCAN – Ethiopia has received the new gender

reforms; the respondents have expressed themselves positively and think that

Ethiopia is under transformation.

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We welcome it. We’re standing for it. (Interviewee 9)

Due to the government of 2018 and the new CSO law, the NGO can work

more transparent and efficiently with issues of gender equality.

One if the issues were that it was forbidden before to work with

issues like women rights. It was difficult to work with it because

of the law. Now, there is a new law. Now we can promote

whatever we want. (Interviewee 8)

Moreover, the new CSO law has improved the relationship with the

government. Before, they were forced to hide certain things from the

government which they now can speak openly about.

It has improved our relationship with the government because we

are now more transparently communicating with the government.

(Interviewee 8)

In conclusion, the interviews show that the reforms have been very well

received by the NGOs in the study. They all mention that the new CSO law

not only led to improvements in their work, but also to a more positive

relationship with the Ethiopian government.

Moving on to analyse question 2 further factor by factor according to the

analytical framework. The first factor concerns the governance system where

Bratton (1987) argues that NGOs relationship with governments depends

upon the country’s governance system. If it allows freedom of association, it

is easier for NGOs to operate. Due to the government and its gender reforms,

the NGOs claims that the relationship has improved compared to the

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governments in the past (Interviewee 8, Interviewee 5, Interviewee 7 &

Interviewee 1). Furthermore, Ethiopia has a multi-party system (Globalis,

2018). In the opinion of Bratton, a multi-party system is often more likely to

accept NGOs rather than single-party systems. This in confirmed in this

study, as the NGOs claims that they have more freedom now (Interviewee 1,

Interviewee 10, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 4 & Interviewee 8). However,

Ethiopia has had a multi-party system during a long period, but it is not until

recently, in relation to the new reforms that NGOs was given more freedom.

Another important factor is the country’s policy regime. As mentioned, there

is a new CSO law that was implemented in relation to the gender reforms

(Freedom House, 2019). It has changed NGOs relationship with the

government (Interviewee 8, Interviewee 5, Interviewee 7 & Interviewee 1).

One of the interviewees describes the CSO law as liberal and world class

(Interviewee 1). Interviewee 7 agree and argues that “We can work more

openly now” In relation to the new CSO law, the government is more open

and welcoming towards NGOs work. One interviewee explains that the

recently implemented CSO law only accepted NGOs to raise 10% funds

from foreign sources and the rest had to be local funds. This is changed now

which improves NGOs work and also, to be more transparent towards the

government (Interviewee 4).

Concerning administrative capacity, which is about to what degree NGOs are

free to function unhindered. Since the implementation of gender reforms in

2018, NGOs are allowed to work in whatever field they find relevant due to

the new CSO law (Interviewee 1). The government has realised that they can

benefit from collaboration with NGOs, according to CoSAP (Interviewee 1).

Before the reform’s implementation, NGOs and the government were

suspicious of each other (Interviewee 1 & Interview 8). Interviewee 1 argues

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that “As an NGO we felt that the government were abolishing us, and the

government felt that NGOs were Western mis leaders”.

Regarding the extent of NGO activity, JeCCDO explained that since the

NGO is working more at the grass root level compared to the government,

they are not collaborating in the same way that other organisations are

(Interviewee 5). With regard to that CoSAP and ANPPCAN – Ethiopia are

working on the same level as JeCCDO, it can be expected that they

experience it similarly. However, during the interviews, the NGOs have been

positive towards the government’s contribution (Interviewee 1, Interviewee

2, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 10, Interviewee 8, Interviewee 7, Interviewee

6, Interviewee 4, Interviewee 5 & Interviewee 9).

Concerning the geographical location, the NGOs are all operating in different

regions of Ethiopia (ANPPCAN - Ethiopia, n.d.c; CoSAP n.d.a; JeCCDO,

n.d.c). For instance, JeCCDO operates in 3 regions and 23 areas which

covers a lot of area in Ethiopia (Interviewee 7). Moreover, since Ethiopia is a

country with over 80 ethnic groups (Globalis, 2018), it is very likely that the

NGOs work with minorities, different religions, cultures and traditions that

can affect the NGOs relationship with the government. Moreover, Ethiopia is

a federal republic with nine ethnical based states which makes the country

unique and can sometime create tensions in the country (Globalis, 2018).

However, JeCCDO have claimed that they respect different religions and

cultures and not unexpectedly, so does the government (Interviewee 7).

Lastly, concerning content, which is about how differences in methods used

by governments can cause disagreements. Interviewee 1 claims that “NGOs

don’t have the capacity to defeat poverty by themselves, but the government

do”. Due to this, it seems like NGOs and the government are using different

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methods but that they are trying to collaborate to improve fields like poverty

since it is in the both institutions interest.

To summarise the analysis of question 2 it can be argued that due to the

government and its gender reforms of 2018, the NGOs are unanimous that

their relationship with the government has improved (Interviewee 8,

Interviewee 5, Interviewee 7 & Interviewee 1). Most likely, it is because the

government contains more open-minded ministers that value NGOs work

and therefore has implemented the new CSO law that provides them more

freedom in their work of gender equality and women empowerment. The fact

that the cabinet consists of 50% women suggest that the women in the

cabinet may have had an impact on the positive development of the

relationship.

5.3 The Gender Reforms Impact on Women This section contains the results and analysis of research question 3. The

analysis is organised in relation to the three NGOs and the analytical

framework and its factors: religion, culture and tradition; diversity,

management and equal employment; women’s political leadership; and

finally; women’s equity in the society.

5.3.1 CoSAP According to CoSAP, the women of Ethiopia has been affected by the gender

reforms in different aspects. The gender reforms have already improved

women’s position on higher level due to the female ministers, the female

president and moreover. But CoSAP are positive regarding the future of

young women to become successful now when they have female role

models.

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Even for us to see that the president of the country is a woman

and more, it gives a positive attitude for the country that we have

equal opportunities. If we study and work hard, we can reach

that, and also young children can aspire to become president or

prime minister etc. (Interviewee 2)

Fissiha Hailu argues in an article that in order to improve the situation for

women in Ethiopia, it is important that women in the cabinet have the same

power as the men and that their voices are taken into account on an equitable

basis since they are the ones that know the issues of being a woman (Fissiha

Hailu, 2017). The respondents of CoSAP have been positive regarding this

and thinks that the women in the cabinet do have equal rights as the men.

What we have seen from the media is that some of them [the

women in the cabinet] are very vocal and not shy. They make

decisions with their respective ministers. (Interviewee 1)

5.3.2 JeCCDO JeCCDO also sees positive changes for the country’s women and are hopeful

about the future regarding gender equality.

It shows the capability of women leading and has a significant

impact upon the public. This gives opportunities for women to

show their capacity and that they can equally lead as men. It

brings social change because children are seeing women leading

the country. (Interviewee 3)

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Ethiopia is considered to be a male dominated society and by implementing

women on high and important posts, it is encouraging the development of

women to step up and make the country more gender equal.

Well, it is a process and it might not happen today. But I think

the future looks promising. […] The women that are now in

power will encourage other women to come onboard and take

power. So, I think there will be equal opportunities in the future.

(Interviewee 7)

Ethiopia, just like many other countries is dominated by men in the politics

(Fissiha Hailu, 2017). Due to the gender reforms, it encourages girls and

women to aspire to become politicians and it also gives them the motivation

to study harder.

Now they [girls and women] say that they want to become

ministers and parliamentarians. Before people weren’t interested

in that because they know the challenge. But now I think that

they see the opportunities and the possibilities, and people are

really aspiring to get engaged into politics. (Interviewee 7)

It doesn’t only inspire women to aspire and work harder, but it also inspires

employers to invest in female employees since they now see that women of

the cabinet, are just as successful as the men are.

It will encourage employers also, to take in more women.

(Interviewee 6)

Because of the gender reforms, more job openings will come, I

think. (Interviewee 10)

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5.3.3 ANPPCAN - Ethiopia ANPPCAN – Ethiopia thinks that Ethiopia is under change and that the

reforms will have a positive impact on the future of Ethiopian women and

girls.

They [the women in the cabinet] are convincing the community;

they are convincing the people that they are capable. Because of

the leadership of the women- Ethiopia is changing. (Interviewee

9)

The respondents of the NGO argue that the gender reforms are empowering

young women to take action and achieve for high positions. The women in

the cabinet motivates young girls to dream of becoming politicians.

The reforms encourage women into participating in politics.

(Interviewee 9)

To summarise, the NGOs has a positive outlook of the Ethiopian women’s

future and claims that this is only the beginning of something promising. To

further analyse this question, let us now look at it factor by factor in the

framework based on Dibie and Dibie (2012).

If we start with the area of religion, culture and tradition. Dibie and Dibie

(2012) argue that there are certain cultures and traditions in Africa that can

be considered to be obstacles in relation to human rights. Cultures and

traditions that promote child marriage and FGM is such an example.

Interviewee 2 explains that “It is hard since there are deeply rooted cultures

where women have not been equals with men” which makes it hard to

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change to the society’s harmful cultures. Moreover, Interviewee 9 explains

that Ethiopian people are very strict with traditions. However, ANPCCAN –

Ethiopia said during an interview that the gender reforms encourage parents

to let their daughters stay in school which will in turn protect them from

harmful traditional practices like early marriage (Interviewee 8). The gender

reforms give parents another perspective of their daughters potential. Instead

of marrying off their daughters at a young age, the reforms of women in the

cabinet ensure parents that their daughters can succeed just like their sons.

This motivates them to let their daughters be educated as well. Concerning

this area, it is also interesting that some of the interviewed women argues

that men might see the gender reforms as a threat. In contrast, the men in the

study argue that they don’t consider the reforms to be a threat (Interviewee 2,

Interviewee 10, Interviewee 1, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 4, Interviewee 5,

Interviewee 6, Interviewee 7, Interviewee 8 & Interviewee 9) Interviewee 2

argues that “They [the men] might see it [the gender reforms] as a threat

because they are not used to it”.

Concerning diversity, management and equal employment: education

including the education of men to promote acceptance of women as their

equals, is of great importance for the empowerment of women. In relation to

the gender reforms, Ethiopian men are now being educated with this goal of

understanding women to have the same capacity as men. The NGOs claims

that due to the gender reforms, young women are encouraged to go to school

and that the women in the cabinet, the female president and moreover act as

role models to girls which motivates them to aspire for higher positions

(Interviewee 8, Interviewee 5, Interviewee 7, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 8,

Interviewee 6, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 1, Interviewee 10 & Interviewee 4)

This contributes to a more equal employment situation since employers

recognise women’s capacity due to the gender reforms, and therefore make

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more of an effort to employ women. Like Dibie and Dibie argue, this

promotes the opportunity to establish a field where diverse groups can grow.

The area of women’s political leadership concerns that women’s priority is

important for Africa’s sustainable development, according to Dibie and Dibie

(2012). In relation to the gender reforms and Ethiopian women, the gender

reforms encourage the Ethiopian society to include women in the

development process and to make use of the country’s whole population.

One of the interviewers of ANPPCAN - Ethiopia mentions that the Ethiopian

population has a greater number of women than men, around 51%

(Interviewee 6). Therefore, it would be unwise for the country’s development

to not include the whole society since it gives them more power and capacity.

Furthermore, the NGOs argues that these gender reforms influence women to

become political leaders since they see that it is now possible (Interviewee 8,

Interviewee 5, Interviewee 7, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 8, Interviewee 6,

Interviewee 3, Interviewee 1, Interviewee 10 & Interviewee 4).

Finally, concerning women’s equity in the society, and women being

recognised as equal partners to men, the NGOs point out as a positive

development that women are increasingly found in high positions of the

government. During the interviews, all of the participants claimed that they

believe that the women in the cabinet do have the same power as the men

and that they are equally heard (Interviewee 2, Interviewee 8, Interviewee 5,

Interviewee 7, Interviewee 8, Interviewee 6, Interviewee 3, Interviewee 1,

Interviewee 10 & Interviewee 4). Interviewee 2 argues that “With this

government, I think they [the women and men] have the same power”.

Therefore, what can be hoped for is that the female ministers take advantage

of this and recognises women’s issues in order to empower them from all

levels of society.

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To summarise the analysis of question 3 and its analytical framework, it can

be argued that they share many of the aspects. In relation to the NGOs and

Dibie and Dibie’s research, all of the factors have influenced Ethiopian

women’s situation due to the gender reforms positively. However, the NGOs

are unanimous that this is only the beginning of something promising and

that these factors will develop during time and improve Ethiopian women’s

situation even more for a gender equal society (Interviewee 8, Interviewee 5,

Interviewee 7, Interviewee 2, Interviewee 8, Interviewee 6, Interviewee 3,

Interviewee 1, Interviewee 10 & Interviewee 4).

6. Conclusion

Ethiopia has for centuries been a male dominated society and its women have

been affected by it in many aspects. Aspects such as harmful traditional

practices and discrimination, only for being born with the “wrong” gender

(Cherinet & Mulugeta, 2003). During 2018, Ethiopia underwent significant

transformation in relation to gender equality on national level. The purpose

of this thesis was to study how the gender reforms introduced by the

Ethiopian government since taking office in 2018, are being perceived by

three non-governmental organisations in Ethiopia in relation to their

possibilities to work for women empowerment. The three selected NGOs for

study were the Consortium of Self Help Group Approach Promoters

(CoSAP), Jerusalem Children and Community Organization (JeCCDO) and

Association for National Planned Program for vulnerable Children And in

Need (ANPPCAN) – Ethiopia. Three research questions were asked:

- How do non-governmental organisations work with women

empowerment in Ethiopia?

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- To what extent and how have non-governmental organisations been

affected by the gender reforms of the Ethiopian government that took

office in 2018?

- How have Ethiopian women been affected by the gender reforms of

the Ethiopian government that took office in 2018 according to non-

governmental organisations?

The research was conducted with a qualitative methodology through a case

study of Ethiopia focusing on three NGOs: Consortium of Self Help Group

Approach Promoters (CoSAP), Jerusalem Children and Community

Organization (JeCCDO) and Association for National Planned Program for

vulnerable Children And in Need (ANPPCAN – Ethiopia) and their work

with women empowerment. The material was analysed using an analytical

framework that for research questions 1 and 3 was based on Dibie and

Dibies’s (2012) research concerning African NGOs, and for research

question 2 based on how various affect African NGOs relationship with

governments derived from Bratton (1987).

Concerning the first question of how non-governmental organisations work

with women empowerment in Ethiopia there are two main findings. First that

the work provided by these NGOs fulfil the criteria in the analytical

framework used how NGOs should work to empower women. Secondly that

these NGOs are working with women empowerment in similar ways. CoSAP

and JeCCDOs main approach is Self Help Groups (SHGs) where they with

help from community-based organisations organise women into groups.

These groups are being educated politically, economical and socially and

together, they are empowering each other to stand for their rights as women.

ANPPCAN – Ethiopia works with women empowerment similarly but are

working more directly with women instead of using community-based

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organisations. ANPPCAN – Ethiopia’s main approach is decision-making

and economic empowerment. However, the NGO is also establishing

Women Watch Groups and SHGs that are empowering each other, support

other women and watch each other’s backs.

As regards to the second question and about to what extent and how non-

governmental organisations have been affected by the gender reforms, the

analysis shows that overall the gender reforms have had a positive impact

upon the NGOs relationship with the government. In general, the NGOs have

received the gender reforms very positively and welcoming. The NGOs are

unanimously responding that the new Civil Society Organisational Law,

which was established as part of gender reforms undertaken by the

government, is the reform that has been affecting them most and very

positively. It allows NGOs to work with gender equality and women

empowerment freely and transparent which has in return improved NGOs

relationship with the government. Concerning the theoretical framework, it

can be argued that the gender reforms have had a positive impact upon the

NGOs relationship with the government in the perspective of Bratton’s

factors.

Finally, regarding the third research question about how Ethiopian women

has been affected by the gender reforms, according to these non-

governmental organisations, the impact has been overall positive. There are

however still some factors not fully fulfilled yet. For instance, deep rooted

harmful traditional practices need more than gender reforms on national level

to change. However, the future looks bright. The NGOs are unanimous in

that the gender reforms have contributed to a great deal in relation to the

Ethiopian society’s gender equality. Gender reforms in form of a gender

equal cabinet and the female president encourages young women to aspire

for more in life than just being a housewife. It motivates parents to educate

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their daughters and provide girls with female role models to admire.

Furthermore, the NGOs argues that this is only the beginning of something

promising that will set the standard of Ethiopia’s future concerning gender

equality.

Finally, what is the contribution of this study more broadly in relation to our

understanding of work towards gender equality and women empowerment?

Gemma Burgess (2013) argues in a scientific article that research about

Ethiopian women in political spheres and the appearance of women’s

activism in Ethiopia is very limited. Burgess argues that Ethiopian women’s

contribution to the society is in many aspects hidden (Burgess, 2013).

Therefore, the results of this study contribute to the acknowledgement of

Ethiopian women on national level and how they have contributed to the

civil society’s development regarding gender equality. Moreover, as pointed

out in the introduction, gender equality is one of the key sustainable

development goals of Agenda 2030. More specifically, goal number 5 which

is dedicated to gender equality. The conclusions of this study have

established that gender reforms have the power to affect a country’s gender

equality and empower women, which is an addition to goal number 5 of

Agenda 2030.

For further research, a follow-up on how the gender reforms has developed

in a couple of years would be necessary since the reforms are still new to the

Ethiopian society, and it would be interesting to see further effects of it.

Moreover, what would be interesting for further research is to interview the

ministers in the government or NGOs that are working more closely with the

government in order to get another perspective.

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Interviewees Interview 1. Male Officer in CoSAP. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, November 25, 2019.

Interview 2. Female Officer in CoSAP. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, November 25, 2019.

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Interview 3. Male Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, November 26, 2019.

Interview 4. Male Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, November 27, 2019.

Interview 5. Female Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 27, 2019.

Interview 6. Male Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, November 28, 2019.

Interview 7. Male Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia, December 4, 2019.

Interview 8. Male Officer in ANPPCAN - Ethiopia. Conducted by Frida

Tegnell in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 9, 2019.

Interview 9. Male Officer in ANPPCAN - Ethiopia. Conducted by Frida

Tegnell in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 9, 2019.

Interview 10. Female Officer in JeCCDO. Conducted by Frida Tegnell in

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 17, 2019.

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Appendix

Questionnaire Theme 1

1. How do the NGO work with cultures, religions and traditions in

relation to women’s position? (Both harmful and encouraging).

2. How do the NGO work with managing diversity and equal

employment?

3. How do the NGO work with women’s political leadership and

women’s opportunities in general?

4. How do the NGOs work with questions related to HIV/AIDS?

5. How do the NGO work with women empowerment in Ethiopia?

Theme 2

6. The Abiye Ahmed Government has implemented gender reforms on

national level since 2018. How has the gender reforms been received

by your NGO?

7. Do you think the reforms have an impact upon women’s equal rights

and opportunities as men in the public sphere?

8. Do you think the reforms inspire into initiatives that recognise

women as a disadvantaged group in society and give them special

treatment?

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9. Do you think the gender reforms could disempower men or make

them feel threatened?

10. Is there anything that has changed in your NGOs work in relation to

gender equality questions since the gender reforms implementation?

Theme 3

11. Do you think these reforms affect women’s employment

opportunities?

12. Do you think these reforms affect women being discriminated?

13. Do you think these reforms encourage women into participating in

politics?

14. Do you think these reforms improve women’s education?

15. Do you think these reforms affect abuse against women?

16. Do you think these gender reforms empower women from both lower

and upper class?

17. Do you think Ethiopians are susceptible or not towards the gender

reforms?

18. Do you think these gender reforms have an impact on the future

concerning gender equality in Ethiopia? If you can, in what way?