Bachelor Thesis

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
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

 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?

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