The conquests of the Muslim Arabs in the 7th century cut off the Ethiopian church from much of its Christian neighbors. In the decades that followed, the church absorbed different syncretic doctrines, but communication with the outside Christian world was preserved via the Ethiopian monastery in Jerusalem.
The patriarch of Alexandria appointed the Ethiopian archbishop, known as the abuna (Arabic: “our father”), who was always an Egyptian Coptic monk, beginning in the 12th century; this created a rivalry with the powerful Ethiopian monastic community’s native itshage (abbot general).
Attempts to abolish Egyptian Coptic rule were made from time to time, but it wasn’t until 1929 that an agreement was reached: an Egyptian monk was re-appointed abuna, but four Ethiopian bishops were consecrated as his auxiliaries.
The research report on “Gender Equality, Women’s empowerment and child wellbeing in Ethiopia” presents the findings of a trend analysis on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Country between 2011 and 2016 and the associations between women’s empowerment and child wellbeing outcomes. The study adopts quantitative methods and uses Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data 2000-2016. It is also informed by global and country-specific literature, policy frameworks and international conventions. The study finds that over the last 16 years, Ethiopia has made significant progress on several dimensions of gender equality and women’s empowerment although disparities between rural and urban areas and across regions have persisted.
Progress also remains slow on women’s educational, economic and inter-personal/familial empowerment. Children whose mothers are empowered are less likely to be deprived in education, health, health related knowledge, nutrition and protection.
Drawing from the research, two separate briefs are produced on the ‘Changing Trends in Gender Equality in Ethiopia’ and ‘Women’s Empowerment and Child Wellbeing in Ethiopia’ to provide the summary of the key findings.
