Rural-to-Urban Migration as an Escape from “Harmful Traditional Practices”?: A Study of the Life Stories of Female Household Servants in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Abstract Most of the young women and girls in Addis Ababa who work as household servants, construction workers or prostitutes are migrants from the Amhara region and other parts of North Ethiopia. They have fled from so-called harmful traditional practices, e.g. early marriage, abduction and rape. This article presents the life stories of young women and girls who have escaped to Addis Ababa, where they try to make a living as female household servants. Their struggle for survival in Ethiopia’s capital is documented, but also their will to take control of their own destiny. These life stories illustrate that their decision to leave their family and migrate to Addis Ababa is a subversive act against structural violence and the above mentioned practices. The discussion of these practices makes it clear that early marriage is a reaction of the Amhara region and other parts of North Ethiopia to economic pressures to which this society in turn responds in a cultural specific way. This interplay of economic and socio-cultural elements has triggered a dynamic with unprecedented consequences not only for the female part of the population but for the society as a whole.