The Effects of NGOs on Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women: Empirical Evidence from Some NGOs Operating in Ethiopia

Diriba Ayele Gebisa ,Sori Tefera

doi:10.7176/jesd/11-1-04

Abstract

Women have been the most disadvantaged and discriminated sections of society all over the world, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NGOs on socio-economic empowerment of women by conceptualizing and developing five basic dimensions of women empowerment including income, saving, decision-making ability, expenditure level, and assets ownership rights of women based on empirical evidence from some NGOs operating in Ethiopia. To test the hypotheses in this paper the researcher targeted three NGOs operating in the study area for a long period of time. For analysis purposes data were collected from 80 respondents selected proportionally by stratified random sampling technique. Data collected classified, edited, and analyzed using SPSS V20. The result of the five hypotheses tested indicated the existence of a positive and significant statistical difference at 5% of significant level between prior and post involvement of women in the various intervention approaches mainly micro credit and training offered on different issues of empowerment by the NGOs to empower the women’ socio-economic perspectives.

Highlights

According to Taylor and Pereznieto (2014) women’s economic empowerment is the method of realizing women’s equal accessibility and control over economic resources
Achievement of women empowerment is a global policy priority for its potential effects on the sustainable Development Goals of the United Nation (UN) that targets poverty reduction, well-being and human development. The achievement of these goals besides the government partially realized through Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs)
The emergence of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have centered on their ability to offer a development alternative, making a set of claims about the more effective approaches necessary for addressing poverty and challenging unequal relationships (Bebbington et al, 2008; Lewis and Kanji, 2009) and NGOs can fill the gaps caused by inefficient state provision of services of rehabilitation, namely, economic, social, educational and medical (Lang, 1999)

Summary

Introduction

According to Taylor and Pereznieto (2014) women’s economic empowerment is the method of realizing women’s equal accessibility and control over economic resources. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of NGOs on socio-economic empowerment of women and developed five hypotheses, stating there is statistically significant difference in the income, saving; decision making, expenditure level of women and assets ownership rights of the participated women prior and post involvement in NGOs intervention program. The null hypothesis can be rejected since the P value statistic is too small relative to the calculated X2 This suggests that the there is a significant difference in income levels of participated women prior and post involvement in NGOs. women empowerment programs by the NGOs had significantly affecting income of the women involved in the NGOs intervention program.

Conclusions

22. Empowering Women in Rural Bangladesh

Findings

24. Micro-finance and women empowerment: role of non-government organizations