Abstract:
This study was aim to investigate women’s participation in local government decision-making
bodies in a Case Study in Oromia National Regional State, Jimma town Ethiopia. To address
this data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The main sections seen in this
study are the status of women in decision-making in local government; the contributions of local
government to empower women in decision-making bodies; the challenges that women face to
participate in local government decision-making bodies. To conduct this study the researcher
used a descriptive research design. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews
and the collected data were analyzed in terms of frequency and percentages. The major findings
indicate that the status of women in decision-making in local government is low and below
expected, and there is no full involvement of women in all efforts for the maintenance and
promotion of peace and security in decision-making in local government under the study area
and there is no equal representation of women and men in decision making at the local
government of the study area. Based on the contributions of local government to empower
women in decision-making bodies, findings of the study reveal that local government can’t
ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in decision-making, and the local
government is unable to increase women’s capacity to participate in decision-making, a local
government unable to engage women in decision making institutions such as in court by
participating in bureaucracies, there is no assessing and grading the equal participation of
women and men in decision making at local government and there is also no training regard to
skills development given to women from local government. The findings reveal that several
challenges faced by women such as poor public relations, women have problems with time
management, an absence of enabling environment, and women being too busy with domestic
chores that challenge them to participate in decision-making in local government. Based on the
findings of the study the researcher forwarded the recommendations as Jimma town
administration must promote gender mainstreaming as the main strategy recommended by the
national policy of Ethiopia, and develop accountability among staff to promote gender equality;
it should be one of the core issues in performance appraisal. Jimma town administration
women’s affairs office in collaboration with the SARDP gender adviser should develop and
implement training programs on gender mainstreaming to enable government staff, to identify
the plan and implement a gender-sensitive project focused on issues impeding women’s
participation in decision-making bodies.
