Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law

This paper evaluates the impact of strengthening legal rights on the types of economic opportunities that are pursued. Ethiopia changed its family law, requiring both spouses' consent in the administration of marital property, removing the ab...

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Main Authors: Hallward-Driemeier, Mary, Gajigo, Ousman
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
TV
WHO
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16919
id okr-10986-16919
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-169192017-12-14T09:03:30Z Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law Hallward-Driemeier, Mary Gajigo, Ousman ACCESS TO CAPITAL ACCESS TO CREDIT ACCESS TO FINANCE ACCESS TO RESOURCES ADOPTION ADULT WOMEN ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES AGE AT MARRIAGE AGE OF MARRIAGE ALIMONY ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES ASSET OWNERSHIP AVAILABILITY OF COLLATERAL BANK BARGAINING BARGAINING POWER BENEFIT BENEFITS BENEFITS FOR WOMEN BORROWERS CHILD CHILD WELFARE CHILDREN CLERKS COLLATERAL COOPERATIVE COURTS CREDIT CREDIT ACCESS CREDIT CONSTRAINTS CREDITORS CULTURAL CHANGE CUSTOMARY PRACTICES DEMANDS ON WOMEN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT BANK DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT POLICY DISCRIMINATION DIVORCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC BENEFITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN ECONOMIC RIGHTS ECONOMICS EDUCATION LEVEL EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES EFFECTS EMPLOYEES EMPLOYERS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYMENT STATUS EMPOWERING WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ENTERPRISES ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY EQUAL RIGHTS EXPENDITURES FAMILIES FAMILY FAMILY LAW FAMILY LAWS FAMILY RELATIONS FARM ENTERPRISE FEMALE FEMALE EDUCATION FEMALES FINANCE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FIRST MARRIAGE GENDER GENDER AND LAW GENDER DIFFERENCE GENDER DIFFERENCES GENDER DIMENSION GENDER DISCRIMINATION GENDER DIVISION OF LABOR GENDER EQUALITY GENDER EQUALITY IN RIGHTS GENDER GAPS GENDER INEQUALITIES GENDER INEQUALITY GENDER NEUTRAL GENDER ROLES GENDER SEGREGATION GROUPS OF WOMEN HOME HOMES HOUSEHOLD HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HOUSEHOLD WELFARE HOUSEHOLDS HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS INCOME INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL WELFARE INHERITANCE INHERITANCE RIGHTS INSECURE PROPERTY INTEREST INTERESTS INTERNATIONAL BANK INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY INVESTMENT INVESTMENTS LABOR ECONOMICS LABOR FORCE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION LABOR MARKET LABOR MARKETS LABOR MOBILITY LABOR RELATIONS LABOR SUPPLY LABORERS LAND REGISTRATION LAND RIGHTS LARGE CITIES LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN LAWS LEGAL MARRIAGE LEGAL REFORM LEGAL REFORMS LEGAL RIGHTS LEGISLATION LEVEL OF EDUCATION MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS MANAGEMENT MANDATES MARITAL PROPERTY MARITAL STATUS MARKET INFORMATION MARRIAGE MARRIAGE AGE MARRIAGE FOR GIRLS MARRIAGE PARTNERS MARRIAGES MARRIED COUPLES MARRIED WOMEN MILLENNIUM DECLARATION MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR WOMEN NATIONAL LEVEL NUMBER OF WOMEN OCCUPATIONS OLDER WOMEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN ORGANIZATIONS OUTCOMES PARENTAL LEAVE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN PARTNERS PEOPLE POLICY POLICY CHANGE POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ECONOMY POPULATION POPULATION DENSITY POPULATION GROWTH POPULOUS COUNTRY POWER OF WOMEN PRODUCTIVITY PROGRESS PROPERTY OWNER PROPERTY RIGHT PROPERTY RIGHTS PROPORTION OF WOMEN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION RADIO RAPE RATES OF POPULATION RED TAPE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN RISK RURAL AREAS SENSITIVE POLICIES SEXUAL DIVISION OF LABOR SINGLE WOMEN SKILLED WORKERS SMALL BUSINESS SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS SPOUSE SPOUSES TRADITIONAL FAMILY TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES TV UNDP UNEMPLOYMENT UNIFEM UNION UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN UNMARRIED WOMEN URBAN AREAS URBAN EMPLOYMENT URBAN MIGRATION URBAN WOMEN URBANIZATION VALUE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WELFARE WHO WIDOWS WIFE WILL WIVES WOMEN WOMEN EMPLOYEES WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS YOUNG WOMEN This paper evaluates the impact of strengthening legal rights on the types of economic opportunities that are pursued. Ethiopia changed its family law, requiring both spouses' consent in the administration of marital property, removing the ability of a spouse to deny permission for the other to work outside the home, and raising women's minimum age of marriage. Thus both access to resources and the removal of restrictions on employment served to strengthen women's bargaining position within the household and their ability to pursue economic opportunities. Although this reform now applies nationally, it was initially rolled out in the two chartered cities and three of Ethiopia's nine regions. Using nationally representative household surveys from just prior to the reform and five years later allows for a difference-in-difference estimation of the reform's impact. The analysis finds that women were relatively more likely to work in occupations that require work outside the home, employ more educated workers, and in paid and full-time jobs where the reform had been enacted, controlling for time and location effects. As the relative increase in women's participation in these activities was 15-24 percent higher in areas where the reform was carried out, the magnitude of the impact is significant too. 2014-02-05T14:59:57Z 2014-02-05T14:59:57Z 2013-11 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16919 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6695 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Ethiopia
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution World Bank
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection Online Access
language English
en_US
topic ACCESS TO CAPITAL
ACCESS TO CREDIT
ACCESS TO FINANCE
ACCESS TO RESOURCES
ADOPTION
ADULT WOMEN
ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES
AGE AT MARRIAGE
AGE OF MARRIAGE
ALIMONY
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
ASSET OWNERSHIP
AVAILABILITY OF COLLATERAL
BANK
BARGAINING
BARGAINING POWER
BENEFIT
BENEFITS
BENEFITS FOR WOMEN
BORROWERS
CHILD
CHILD WELFARE
CHILDREN
CLERKS
COLLATERAL
COOPERATIVE
COURTS
CREDIT
CREDIT ACCESS
CREDIT CONSTRAINTS
CREDITORS
CULTURAL CHANGE
CUSTOMARY PRACTICES
DEMANDS ON WOMEN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DISCRIMINATION
DIVORCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
ECONOMIC RIGHTS
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION LEVEL
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
EFFECTS
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYERS
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
EMPOWERING WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
ENTERPRISES
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY
EQUAL RIGHTS
EXPENDITURES
FAMILIES
FAMILY
FAMILY LAW
FAMILY LAWS
FAMILY RELATIONS
FARM ENTERPRISE
FEMALE
FEMALE EDUCATION
FEMALES
FINANCE
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FIRST MARRIAGE
GENDER
GENDER AND LAW
GENDER DIFFERENCE
GENDER DIFFERENCES
GENDER DIMENSION
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
GENDER DIVISION OF LABOR
GENDER EQUALITY
GENDER EQUALITY IN RIGHTS
GENDER GAPS
GENDER INEQUALITIES
GENDER INEQUALITY
GENDER NEUTRAL
GENDER ROLES
GENDER SEGREGATION
GROUPS OF WOMEN
HOME
HOMES
HOUSEHOLD
HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HOUSEHOLD WELFARE
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN RESOURCES
HUSBAND
HUSBANDS
INCOME
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
INDIVIDUAL WELFARE
INHERITANCE
INHERITANCE RIGHTS
INSECURE PROPERTY
INTEREST
INTERESTS
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
INVESTMENT
INVESTMENTS
LABOR ECONOMICS
LABOR FORCE
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKETS
LABOR MOBILITY
LABOR RELATIONS
LABOR SUPPLY
LABORERS
LAND REGISTRATION
LAND RIGHTS
LARGE CITIES
LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN
LAWS
LEGAL MARRIAGE
LEGAL REFORM
LEGAL REFORMS
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGISLATION
LEVEL OF EDUCATION
MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS
MANAGEMENT
MANDATES
MARITAL PROPERTY
MARITAL STATUS
MARKET INFORMATION
MARRIAGE
MARRIAGE AGE
MARRIAGE FOR GIRLS
MARRIAGE PARTNERS
MARRIAGES
MARRIED COUPLES
MARRIED WOMEN
MILLENNIUM DECLARATION
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE
MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR WOMEN
NATIONAL LEVEL
NUMBER OF WOMEN
OCCUPATIONS
OLDER WOMEN
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
ORGANIZATIONS
OUTCOMES
PARENTAL LEAVE
PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
PARTNERS
PEOPLE
POLICY
POLICY CHANGE
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POPULATION
POPULATION DENSITY
POPULATION GROWTH
POPULOUS COUNTRY
POWER OF WOMEN
PRODUCTIVITY
PROGRESS
PROPERTY OWNER
PROPERTY RIGHT
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PROPORTION OF WOMEN
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
RADIO
RAPE
RATES OF POPULATION
RED TAPE
REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN
RISK
RURAL AREAS
SENSITIVE POLICIES
SEXUAL DIVISION OF LABOR
SINGLE WOMEN
SKILLED WORKERS
SMALL BUSINESS
SOCIAL CHANGE
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
SPOUSE
SPOUSES
TRADITIONAL FAMILY
TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES
TV
UNDP
UNEMPLOYMENT
UNIFEM
UNION
UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN
UNMARRIED WOMEN
URBAN AREAS
URBAN EMPLOYMENT
URBAN MIGRATION
URBAN WOMEN
URBANIZATION
VALUE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WELFARE
WHO
WIDOWS
WIFE
WILL
WIVES
WOMEN
WOMEN EMPLOYEES
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
YOUNG WOMEN
spellingShingle ACCESS TO CAPITAL
ACCESS TO CREDIT
ACCESS TO FINANCE
ACCESS TO RESOURCES
ADOPTION
ADULT WOMEN
ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES
AGE AT MARRIAGE
AGE OF MARRIAGE
ALIMONY
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
ASSET OWNERSHIP
AVAILABILITY OF COLLATERAL
BANK
BARGAINING
BARGAINING POWER
BENEFIT
BENEFITS
BENEFITS FOR WOMEN
BORROWERS
CHILD
CHILD WELFARE
CHILDREN
CLERKS
COLLATERAL
COOPERATIVE
COURTS
CREDIT
CREDIT ACCESS
CREDIT CONSTRAINTS
CREDITORS
CULTURAL CHANGE
CUSTOMARY PRACTICES
DEMANDS ON WOMEN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DISCRIMINATION
DIVORCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
ECONOMIC RIGHTS
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION LEVEL
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
EFFECTS
EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYERS
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
EMPOWERING WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
ENTERPRISES
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY
EQUAL RIGHTS
EXPENDITURES
FAMILIES
FAMILY
FAMILY LAW
FAMILY LAWS
FAMILY RELATIONS
FARM ENTERPRISE
FEMALE
FEMALE EDUCATION
FEMALES
FINANCE
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FIRST MARRIAGE
GENDER
GENDER AND LAW
GENDER DIFFERENCE
GENDER DIFFERENCES
GENDER DIMENSION
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
GENDER DIVISION OF LABOR
GENDER EQUALITY
GENDER EQUALITY IN RIGHTS
GENDER GAPS
GENDER INEQUALITIES
GENDER INEQUALITY
GENDER NEUTRAL
GENDER ROLES
GENDER SEGREGATION
GROUPS OF WOMEN
HOME
HOMES
HOUSEHOLD
HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HOUSEHOLD WELFARE
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN RESOURCES
HUSBAND
HUSBANDS
INCOME
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
INDIVIDUAL WELFARE
INHERITANCE
INHERITANCE RIGHTS
INSECURE PROPERTY
INTEREST
INTERESTS
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
INVESTMENT
INVESTMENTS
LABOR ECONOMICS
LABOR FORCE
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKETS
LABOR MOBILITY
LABOR RELATIONS
LABOR SUPPLY
LABORERS
LAND REGISTRATION
LAND RIGHTS
LARGE CITIES
LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN
LAWS
LEGAL MARRIAGE
LEGAL REFORM
LEGAL REFORMS
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGISLATION
LEVEL OF EDUCATION
MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS
MANAGEMENT
MANDATES
MARITAL PROPERTY
MARITAL STATUS
MARKET INFORMATION
MARRIAGE
MARRIAGE AGE
MARRIAGE FOR GIRLS
MARRIAGE PARTNERS
MARRIAGES
MARRIED COUPLES
MARRIED WOMEN
MILLENNIUM DECLARATION
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE
MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR WOMEN
NATIONAL LEVEL
NUMBER OF WOMEN
OCCUPATIONS
OLDER WOMEN
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
ORGANIZATIONS
OUTCOMES
PARENTAL LEAVE
PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
PARTNERS
PEOPLE
POLICY
POLICY CHANGE
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POPULATION
POPULATION DENSITY
POPULATION GROWTH
POPULOUS COUNTRY
POWER OF WOMEN
PRODUCTIVITY
PROGRESS
PROPERTY OWNER
PROPERTY RIGHT
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PROPORTION OF WOMEN
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
RADIO
RAPE
RATES OF POPULATION
RED TAPE
REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN
RISK
RURAL AREAS
SENSITIVE POLICIES
SEXUAL DIVISION OF LABOR
SINGLE WOMEN
SKILLED WORKERS
SMALL BUSINESS
SOCIAL CHANGE
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
SPOUSE
SPOUSES
TRADITIONAL FAMILY
TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES
TV
UNDP
UNEMPLOYMENT
UNIFEM
UNION
UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN
UNMARRIED WOMEN
URBAN AREAS
URBAN EMPLOYMENT
URBAN MIGRATION
URBAN WOMEN
URBANIZATION
VALUE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WELFARE
WHO
WIDOWS
WIFE
WILL
WIVES
WOMEN
WOMEN EMPLOYEES
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
YOUNG WOMEN
Hallward-Driemeier, Mary
Gajigo, Ousman
Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
geographic_facet Africa
Ethiopia
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6695
description This paper evaluates the impact of strengthening legal rights on the types of economic opportunities that are pursued. Ethiopia changed its family law, requiring both spouses' consent in the administration of marital property, removing the ability of a spouse to deny permission for the other to work outside the home, and raising women's minimum age of marriage. Thus both access to resources and the removal of restrictions on employment served to strengthen women's bargaining position within the household and their ability to pursue economic opportunities. Although this reform now applies nationally, it was initially rolled out in the two chartered cities and three of Ethiopia's nine regions. Using nationally representative household surveys from just prior to the reform and five years later allows for a difference-in-difference estimation of the reform's impact. The analysis finds that women were relatively more likely to work in occupations that require work outside the home, employ more educated workers, and in paid and full-time jobs where the reform had been enacted, controlling for time and location effects. As the relative increase in women's participation in these activities was 15-24 percent higher in areas where the reform was carried out, the magnitude of the impact is significant too.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Hallward-Driemeier, Mary
Gajigo, Ousman
author_facet Hallward-Driemeier, Mary
Gajigo, Ousman
author_sort Hallward-Driemeier, Mary
title Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
title_short Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
title_full Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
title_fullStr Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
title_full_unstemmed Strengthening Economic Rights and Women's Occupational Choice : The Impact of Reforming Ethiopia's Family Law
title_sort strengthening economic rights and women's occupational choice : the impact of reforming ethiopia's family law
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16919
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