Resources, Time and Gender: Determinants of Women’s Housework in Bahir Dar and Nearby Rural Villages, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Women’s disproportionate engagement in housework and its determinants has been relatively well studied for developed countries, but such research is absent for less developed countries. Unless barriers to women’s participation in development efforts are addressed, poverty reduction programs may not succeed. Using data from a household survey of 502 women and employing a multivariate linear regression model, this paper analyzed determinants of women’s hours of housework. Results show that, in line with theory and past research, time availability and resources or bargaining power have statistically significant negative associations with a woman’s housework time. Similarly, traditional gender perception/practice has the expected positive association with a woman’s housework time. National strategies aiming at poverty reduction may need to pay more attention to educate women, help them overcome shortage of working capital, and improve employment opportunities since these may increase resources available to women, empower them, and thereby minimize gendered housework.