Gender Mainstreaming in Rural Road Construction and Usage in Ethiopia: Impact and Implications - Inception Report

Examines gender mainstreaming in rural road construction and usage in Ethiopia’s Amhara and Tigray regions

Abstract

The project examines gender mainstreaming in rural road construction and usage in Ethiopia’s Amhara and Tigray regions. This report covers the Inception phase of the project. During inception, analysis of data from 529 households revealed key differences between male and female-headed households, in terms of how they benefit from road construction and access to transport. Consultations with local stakeholders helped validate these findings, elucidate the socio-economic context behind them, and identify the most promising solutions and areas of intervention. Key findings show that female-headed households bear a higher risk of losing their land to road construction while having lower mobility along completed roads; that road usage is very low in general which also reflects the paucity of available rural transport options; that women have less access to available options; and that Intermediate Means of Transport (IMTs) show a high potential for filling the transport gap. Based on the findings, the research methodology and questions were fine-tuned and tested. Research was initiated among communities along four feeder roads constructed through Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme. This sets the tone for Phase 2 where the bulk of the field research is to be carried out.

This project is funded by DFID under the Applied Research on Rural Roads and Transport Services through Community Access Programmes in Africa and Asia (AFCAP2 and AsCAP)

Citation

MetaMeta and Mekele University (2017). Gender Mainstreaming in Rural Road Construction and Usage in Ethiopia: Impact and Implications - Inception Report. London: ReCAP for DFID.

Gender Mainstreaming in Rural Road Construction and Usage in Ethiopia: Impact and Implications - Inception Report

Published 18 September 2017