Gender inequality was introduced to Africa post-slavery, because many religions and cultures have always embraced the woman and her amazing spirit. According to an article from The Telegraph UK, which ranks the best and worst countries for gender equality, 4 African countries topped the list in terms of the worst, while 3 countries topped the list in terms of the best. This shows that Africa should not have a defined stereotype about gender equality. In the African country of Ethiopia that I chose to do my research about, I discovered that most women in Ethiopia are not allowed to make decisions about their own body, yet their father or husband does the decision-making for them, and the practice of female genital mutilation. As I discovered these facts, I began to question, “how are women treated in Ethiopia?”

A survey conducted in 2016 concluded that 30 percent of Ethiopian women were not allowed to make critical health decisions about their own bodies, which included using birth control, where the woman gave birth to a child, and even if she could receive an education. The rate of young girls gaining a primary school education, however, has increased significantly, from 21% to 91% in the past 30 years. With this fact, the majority of these girls won’t make it to secondary school. The girls who do have an even harder time making it to college as only 35% of the people enrolled in college are women and 5% of women drop out after the first year.  

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the practice of removing female genitalia, such as the clitoris, the prepuce (the clitoral hood), and the labia minora. The urethra and the vagina become covered and the small epertur remains open. The labia majora then is sewn closed. This practice occurs in Ethiopia to women mostly around the ages of 0-4 years old. This procedure is extremely painful from what I could imagine and is extremely harmful. The ranges of the practice of FGM increase as you go into northeastern Africa, which is where the country of Ethiopia is. This practice has been an extremely controversial topic around the world, as many people believe that the procedure is very extreme and inhumane, which I also agree with. This procedure is practiced for many reasons, but the most important reason is to control the woman’s sexuality. Many people believe that the removal of female sexual organs will lessen the chance that she loses her virginity before marriage, that the chances of a woman becoming pregnant increase, and increases a man’s sexual desire towards a woman. These reasonings are disgusting, especially to the expense of a woman’s liberation and freedom. These reasons highlight how women are thought of as just sexual pleasure and lesser than the man. There have been calls all over to stop the procedure, and the amount of procedures have decreased, but it is still happening.  

Women in Ethiopia are treated extremely unfairly. Although the overall behavior towards women has increased in a positive way in the recent years, Ethiopian women still face extreme adversities and these actions should be recognized everywhere. 

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• Sources
• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/mapped-the-best-and-worst-countries-for-gender-equality/
• https://www.usaid.gov/ethiopia/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-we-do-it/201811/genital-mutilation-girls-and-women
• Bogale, Daniel, Desalegn Markos, and Muhammedawel Kaso. “Intention Toward the Continuation of Female Genital Mutilation in Bale Zone, Ethiopia.” International Journal of Women’s Health 7 (2015): 85-93. ProQuest. Web. 12 July 2019.