THE ROLE OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP TO WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT: THE CASE OF HOUSING IN MANDI TOWN

Abstract

Assets like house, land, livestock and its products, and other natural resources, as well as houses play a major role in empowering women. Property rights are increasingly put forth as a means to promote development by empowering women, increasing productivity, and improving welfare. Property rights facilitate women’s socio-economic independence which facilitates their progress to empowerment. As a result, the researcher focused on the significance of property ownership to women empowerment. The research type used in the process was qualitative survey research and used primary data in order to get first hand information, and to substantiate the primary data the researcher used secondary source. A questioner of 286 was distributed to the respondents and the data was analyzed and interpreted. The major findings of the research are; the right of women to own property, including house is recognized under international human right law. Yet, in many countries including Ethiopia, specifically Mandi town’s women property rights are limited due to social norms and customs and at time by legislation. As a result, women do not enjoy equal opportunity, empowerment and status in their families and communities. Based up on the findings the researcher has recommended the following; The major socio-economic factors which were interrelated with each other, i.e. social, economical, political, and cultural; most properties were distributed unequally between men and women, it is on the hands of men households, and finally, increasing educational opportunities for women is critical important. Women related organizations should engage in the creation of positive attitude towards women, increase women’s income-generating power to spend their resources, it is not enough, however, to increase women’s percentage of house hold income; this must be accompanied by increasing women’s autonomy, mobility, decision making authority and power with in the family.