The Life of Ethiopian Women

Mahlet Dalu

 WST 250

The Life of Ethiopian Women

Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa; it was the home to the most ancient kingdom in Africa. Today, Ethiopia is the most populated country on the continent with 92 million people, rendering it a significant demographic power in Africa (Gozalbez). The struggle of gender inequality has been challenging for Ethiopian women culturally, socially, and religiously. The Ethiopian Women Organization has been devoted to eliminate all types of discrimination and help promote equality, peace, and justice.

Female Genital Cutting is all procedures which partially or completely remove the external female genitalia (Medical News).  Sadly, more than 50 percent of Ethiopian women ages 15 to 49 have been subjected to female genital cutting (Seager). Health complications due to female genital cutting are substantial, including infertility, urinary infection, and excessive bleeding which can lead to death.  

Social factors perpetuates Female Genital Cutting by seeing the practice as a norm in parts of Ethiopia, it is considered as way to prepare the girl for adulthood eventually marriage; this ties to peoples belief that by performing circumcision it will decrease the girls sexual urgency that can lead to being sexually active before marriage---premarital virginity and marital fidelity. Cultural factors perpetuates Female Genital Cutting by considering the practice as a ritual; after the removal of genital parts they consider it as a sign of femininity and beauty and the concept that girls are “fresh.” Religious factors perpetuate Female Genital Cutting by some religious leaders that have “religious support” and allow the practice while others believe it is unrelated to religion.

According to World Health Organization, women who have been circumcised are also more likely to need Caesareans and the infant mortality rate among their babies is as much as 50 percent higher. Even though in Ethiopia Female Genital Cutting is banned it is a practice that is difficult to abolish and women face lifetime of pain and suffering. Since 2005 Female Genital Cutting practice has decreased, today in Ethiopia, as only 62 percent of women age 15 to 19 had been cut, compared to 73 percent of those aged 20 to 24. (Pathfinder)

The vast majority of ethnic groups perform this procedure when the girl is an infant.  Less than a third of the women interviewed believed that the practice should be continued. Though its true origins are not known, the reasons given today for circumcision generally remain unexamined by most Ethiopians (Pathfinder). Women are apprehensive if their daughters do not go through the Female Genital Cutting, if not, they would be considered worthless of marriage and receive no respect in the village. An uncircumcised woman is thought to be promiscuous and a threat to the family. Many Ethiopians consider it to protect the girl’s virginity and reduce the woman’s urge to premarital sex. Usually, women perform the surgical procedure with unsterilized knives or razors, putting girls at danger of contracting a disease, including HIV.

In Ethiopia the barriers to lowering  the deaths of maternal mortality is based on the lack of health resources, challenges with transportation, and the cultural belief that the women should give birth at home. These barriers cause the woman: infections, diseases, and obstructed labor. “About 60% of mothers who do not attend health facilities while giving birth do not see the benefit of delivering in health facilities, while the remaining 30% abstain from going there by giving culture and beliefs as their reason. That the majority of women did not appreciate the value of institution delivery calls for a concerted effort to educate women and families about the importance of skilled birth attendance and postnatal care” (Amasu). According to Ethiopia’s demographic health survey, only 10% of deliveries take place within health facilities.

Shockingly, 700 to 999 women die in pregnancy or childbirth; 75 percent or more of women’s births are not attended by a doctor, nurse or midwife. The World Health Organization, the largest gap of rich and poor occurs in maternal mortality by providing substantial prenatal heath care, improving maternal nutrition, and by providing legal, social, and health support that would allow women to avoid unwanted pregnancies (Seager). The maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia is 350 deaths/100,000 live births.

More than 500,000 Ethiopian women and girls who don’t receive the sufficient health care can eventually lead to delivery complications, including excessive bleeding. Even though communities are aware of the dangers around childbirth, contingencies for potential complications are rarely discussed or made, such that most families hope or pray that things will turn out well. When things go wrong, precious time is lost in finding resources and manpower to assist in the transfer to a health facility (Ethiopian Journal of Health). The insufficiency of hospital is the lack of technical equipments and skills to enable doctors and nurses to perform a safe emergency operation.

The effect of cultural factors on women’s lives in Ethiopia is they are viewed from birth as commodity. A girl whose family is of lower class has minimal respect from the men in her family. When she reaches a certain age she starts caring for younger siblings, helps with food preparation, and spends many hours carrying water and in search for wood, if any (Pathfinder). As she grows older, she is valued for the responsibility of creating a similar relationship through marriage to her husband’s side of the family, in so doing familiarizing and strengthening the status of her family in their village. She is taught to be obedient at all times as a wife, sister, and daughter. It brings shame to the family if she acts disobedient. An aspect of girls’ and women’s lives is that they are of low status; the heavy workload forced on girls at an early age, early marriage without choice, and an obedient role to both husband and mother-in-law. Resulting to constraints on the rights of women and their opportunities to direct their own lives or participate in and contribute to community and national development.  

The effect of religious factors on women’s lives in Ethiopia is their decisions to get prenatal care. This factor is considered on the level of education and socioeconomic status which are important and contributes to key functions in what prevention and healing methods women wind up choosing. A study done in Ethiopia, in urban areas, more Orthodox (27.5%), Muslim (28.3%), and Protestant (24.8%) women tended to use prenatal care than women following traditional religions (11.3%). Generally the Muslim women were 30 percent more likely to get prenatal care services, compared to women from Orthodox and Catholic faith who were 50 percent less likely to get services.

In rural areas, Muslim women were 1 and a half times more likely while women from traditional religions were 40 percent less likely to seek prenatal care than Orthodox and Catholic women. In the case of delivery care, the situation seems to be much grimmer (Student Pulse). Only 6 percent of women received such care and the women in urban areas far surpassed women in rural areas in seeking such care. Out of this small number of women that actually sought delivery care, more Orthodox and Catholic women (8.1%) used these services than Protestant women (4.5%), Muslim women (4.3%), and women following traditional religions (1.4%) (Student Pulse).

Ethiopia is a developing country that still struggles with continuing famine and environmental deficiency.  Greatly, gender inequality in Ethiopia is evident, regarding scarcity in whole, but more importantly it is concerning knowing that women are suffering from unimaginable challenges. Fortunately, there are helpful organizations promoting women equality, justice, and peace.

Works Cited:

Javier Gozalbez, and Dulce Cebrian. Touching Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Shama Books, 2004.Print.

Seager, Joni. The Penguin atlas of women in the world. 4th ed. New York: Penguin Books, 2009. Print.

"Women's Empowerment in Ethiopia." PathFinder. Bogalech Alemu, and Mengistu Asnake.Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.pathfinder.org/publications-tools/pdfs/Womens-Empowerment-in-Ethiopia-New-Solutions-to-Ancient-Problems.pdf>.

"Solving Health Issues in Ethiopia with Religion - Student Pulse." Academic Articles. Online Academic Journal - Student Pulse. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/370/solving-health-issues-in-ethiopia-with-religion>.

"What Is Female Genital Mutilation?." Medical News Today: Health News. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241726.php>.