Gender and Determinants of Women’s Engagement in Productive Activities in South Wollo, Ethiopia

This research is carried out with the aim of scrutinizing the major socio-cultural stumbling blocks altering women’s access to and control over productive assets, especially, land and credit. The research employs qualitative orientation through basic qualitative survey techniques. Focus group discussion, individual interview, and participatory observation used as basic data gathering tools accompanied by a guide checklist for primary data and published and unpublished documents for secondary information respectively. The findings of the study show that women’s access to and control over productive assets is seriously constrained by various social, cultural, economic, political, psychological and ideological versions of analogy. Appropriate recommendations proffered to enhance women’s access to and control over productive assets. Key words: Gender, Women, productive assets, legal pluralism, patriarchy, land tenure, patrilineal inheritance