Do gender roles affect urban poverty in Ethiopia? A focus on women in micro and small enterprises

Abstract

This original research article investigates the impacts of gender roles on women’s urban poverty in Assosa city, Benishangul Gumuz National Regional State, Ethiopia. It emphasizes how gender roles impacted women’s educational attainment and social mobility, healthy or unhealthy behavior and lifestyles, unemployment, and benefits from the infrastructural services available. A qualitative research design was employed to conduct the study with semi-structured interviews among women who engaged in Micro and Small Enterprises (n = 30), key informant interviews with experts working in government sectors (n = 15), and 4 focus group discussions (n = 32) among women who were selected based on their experiences in the micro and small enterprises in the study area. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data generated aiming at understanding the different views of the study participants related to the revelation and expression of gender roles in women’s urban poverty. In the context of this study, revelation implies the state of being exposed to gendered roles while expression indicates the reactions of victims to exposure. This study has policy implications informing interventions at all levels toward mitigating the impacts of gender roles on women’s urban poverty.