Access to affordable and reliable energy sources and women economic status nexus in three selected Woredas of Oromiy regional state, Ethiopia

Abstract

Access to affordable and reliable energy services reduces the exposure of women and the household to a variety of problems that hinder their economic wellbeing and utilization of their time properly for economically productive activities. In addition, it can reduce the time of collecting fire wood by women and children, thereby increasing their productivity and status. The study has considered the house hold energy type, namely conventional and non conventional, and its accessibility that affect the livelihood of the women in particular and the family in general. Three oromiya woredas that fall around the primate city, Addis Ababa, namely Legetafo, Sululta and Sebeta , were purposively selected. Data and information pertaining to women economic situations and the status of house hold energy services for all selected woredas of oromiya have been collected. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques have been used to analyze the data. The findings of the study have shown that women economic status in the three studied woredas is generally low and varies considerably with the type of energy they use. The study has also established the existence of strong linkages between energy accessibility and women health status in the studied regions. There are a relatively lower number of economically poor women in areas where there are better accesses to energy services. This implies the need for policy interventions that can help in upgrading and expanding energy infrastructures, adopting an integrated scheme and infrastructure development approach, improving the existing energy schemes, and universalizing energy accessibility in Ethiopia.