The Guji-Oromo Women Places in the Society (Polio-Economic and Socio-Cultural Rights): In reference to the Gadaa System, South Ethiopia

This section starts with the historical review of Ethiopian women‘s roles and status analyzed from a feminist perspective. The aim is to find out whether there were feminist tendencies among the actions of women in the past and what forms those had. What has to be kept in mind is that women‘s right, question and other related issues, in the past and at present, were strongly influenced by the political and religious culture of society that continues unabated. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study is to discuss women‘s household positions, property rights, and leadership status, Famine and NGOs among the Gujii peoples in particular and in the history of Ethiopia, in general.

In many African societies, women‘s problems are compounded as compared to other marginalized categories. Because of their political and economic position in their society, women constitute what Jemjem (2004: 12) calls ―the most marginalized of the marginalized.‖ As members of society, they experience unfair treatment; they have to bear the burdens of daily life that patriarchy imposes. The discrimination of women as a lived reality represents something larger than simply a lack of income or a state of financial need for women, which is created by gender inequality in various socio-economical and political affairs. In addition to this, sex segregation in the labor market creates much of the wage gap visible between men and women‘s work. Even those, occupation which have traditionally been occupied by women and generally involve lower prestige and less-skills, are usually lower paying occupations.

But, those occupations which were dominated by men‘s typically pay more than womens‘ are paid, even though their educational requirements are roughly the same. Among lower- skill, lower paying occupations, woman‗s earn approximately 60 % of men‘s wages for comparable work. Enduring inequality in pay structures, the target of ―Equal pay for Equal work‖ campaigns from years past, present, persist, ultimately contributing to a devaluation of women‘s work.

In support of this, Barbar B. Conable Jr., President of the World Bank in 1986, spoken that, ‗women do two thirds of the word‘s work…….yet they earn only one tenth of income and own less than one percent of the world‗s property. There are among the poorest of the world‘s poor.‘ Their underprivileged positions are maintained and perpetuated by strong national and cultural discourses as well as by customary and statutory laws.