Vulnerability of rural female-headed households to poverty: The case of LiboKemkemWoreda, Ethiopia

This study is an attempt to highlight the vulnerability of rural LiboKemkemWoreda femaleheaded households (FHHs) to poverty, Ethiopia. Data were collected from December 12, 2011 to February 1, 2012. To this end, I employed qualitative and quantitative methods. Possession of ample amount of Land, oxen, labour and capital are major assets that any farmer should have so as to sustain their life. These are major indicators of poverty. However, the findings showed that rural female-headed households lack these most productive resources. On the contrast, maleheaded households (MHHs) possess these assets. In effect, their life situation is deteriorating as time went on. 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 economic status of female-headed households in patriarchal rural social organizations.