Girls and women's social and economic empowerment in Ethiopia's Afar and Somali regions: challenges and progress. A review of the evidence

Ethiopia’s recent progress towards development goals has not been equitably distributed across regions. Afar and Somali have not yet significantly benefitted. These desert regions have the lowest school enrolment rates, the highest rates of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and rates of child marriage that have remained stubbornly static in the face of broader progress. They have also seen very little focused research.

This evidence synthesis report draws on secondary sources to provide an overview of what is known about girls’ and women’s economic and social empowerment in Afar and Somali regions, aiming to contextualise forthcoming primary research being undertaken by ODI and Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) for an Irish Aid-funded evaluation of programming implemented by Save the Children.

Suggested citation:

Presler-Marshall, B., Jones, N., Abdisalam, A., Gebreyehu, Y., Woldehanna, T. and Yadete, W. (2022) Girls and Girls and women's social and economic empowerment in Ethiopia's Afar and Somali regions: challenges and progress. A review of the evidence. Policy brief. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence. (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/girls-and-womens-social-and-economic-empowerment-in-ethiopias-afar-and-somali-regions-challenges-and-progress-a-review-of-the-evidence/)