*Lecturer, Bahir Dar University, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Disaster Risk Management and Sustainable Development, Ethiopia
**Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Commerce, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India
Online published on 7 September, 2012.
The frequency of female-headed households has increased over time in Ethiopia.This study investigates the formation and social status of rural female-headed households (FHHs) in Libo Kemkem Woreda1, Ethiopia. Data were collected from December 12, 2011 to February 1, 2012. To this end, I employed qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings indicated that contributing factors for the formation of female-headed households is increasing. Economic, social, cultural and health are main causes for the creation of widowed, divorced, separated and never-married individuals, which finally combined to form female-headed households. The frequency of female-headed households in the study area could not be a reassurance to secure their positions among the community. Besides the subordinate status of women in the study area, the negative societal attitude towards female-headed households aggravates their socio-economic problem. The findings of this study, therefore, must have some relevance for the design of rural development projects targeting women as well as for theories explaining social status of female-headed households in patriarchal rural social organizations.
Formation, Social Status, Rural FHHs, Libo Kemkem Woreda
