The Impact of Cultural Practices on Women Empowerment: The Case of Offa Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate the impacts of cultural practices on women empowerment in Offa Woreda, Wolaita zone, of southern Ethiopia. This study design is purely qualitative and descriptive in its approach. Both primary and secondary source of data for this study was obtained from Offa Woreda women who are engaged in different economic activities. Hence, the geographical scope of the study contained Busha and wachiga-Eesho kebeles of Offa Woreda. Since the study aimed at getting in-depth understanding of community practices that affect women's empowerment, purposive sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Totally fifty individuals were participated to provide the data for this research. In-depth interview and focus group discussion was also used to collect the data. The researcher documented and analyzed actual case studies, which enabled the researcher to identify the impacts of socio-cultural practices on women's empowerment, the society's perception towards women role and factors affect women decision making in household and community level. The data was analyzed in thematically organized way by pursuing to the original descriptions of the field notes so as to infer meanings and generalizations. This finding reveals that our countries context is formally banned by the Ethiopian constitution which was promulgated in Ethiopian constitution (1995) Art 35, sub Art 4 the state shall enforce the right of women to eliminate the influence of harmful customs. Though, the community has been practicing female genital mutilation and early marriage because of low awareness and cultural reason like the belief that a non-mutilated girl breaks the utensils, possesses bad behavior and for the purpose of purity. Generally, there are several cultural practices in this study area and they have their own impact on women's performance. Currently, these practices are prevailing among the community and the community gave their own positive and negative implications towards this practices. Particularly female genital mutilation and early marriage are the most common practice in my study area. Therefore, it needs governments' considerable attention and other non-governmental organizations and policy-makers to reflect on the most suitable ways of supporting women empowerment.