International Journal of Gender & Women's Studies

A Woman’s Right to and Control over Rural Land in Ethiopia: The Law and the Practice
Hussein Ahmed Tura

Abstract
This Article critically analyzes the law and the practice on women’s right to and control over rural land in Ethiopia. The study employed doctrinal legal research and empirical quantitative methods to collect and analyse data from primary and secondary sources. Tools such as law review and analysis, interviewer-assisted survey questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used in the process of data collection. It has been found that the existing laws adequately recognize a woman’s right to equality with respect to access to and control of property (including land) in Ethiopia. However, harmful customary practices and stereotypes against women are still prevalent in the Wolaita community, which hinders an effective implementation of the legal rights of women to possess and control land. It is suggested that legal awareness campaign and effective legal aid should be made available for women to empower them to their property rights in general and rural land use and administration in particular.

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