Leadership & Decision Making
Although Ethiopia has a positive policy framework that encourages women’s leadership and participation at all levels, implementation has been difficult due to limited technical and institutional capacity and the lack of public awareness. Existing cultural norms that discriminate against women remain dominant, making it difficult to advance this agenda.
In an effort to bridge these gaps, IIRR initiated the Gender in Leadership and Decision Making project (GLDM). The overarching goal of GLDM is to foster the advancement of Ethiopian women in positions of leadership by creating an enabling environment at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. The overall goals of GLDM include: 1) developing the capacity of government, NGOs, local associations, media outlets and schools to mainstream gender concerns into policies and programs; 2) building the skills and confidence of women leaders and aspiring women leaders at the national, regional and local levels; and 3) creating and enhancing public awareness of gender equity using creative media solutions and effective communication strategies.
IIRR currently works with fifteen federal ministries and state agencies, media organizations, four NGOs and six schools.
Hundreds of men and women are now equipped with the confidence and skills to serve as gender focal points in government, hospitals, schools and vocational training institutions. Federal and regional government has now incorporated gender concerns into their multi-year plans. Schools have become vocal in the fight against gender-based violence and other forms of discrimination. Media outlets have committed more airtime related to quality gender-sensitive programming and women and girls are enjoying a more equitable environment where they can learn, work and grow into positions of leadership .
