Abstract
The way work is divided between men and women according to their gender roles is usually referred to as the ??gender division of labour??. Gender division of labour has been as old as history, differing from culture to culture in time and space which has implications for women??s empowerment and societal development. Thus, the study was conducted with the aim of identifying and analysing the causes of gender division of Labour in Bale Zone Agro- pastoralist woredas. It was designed to investigate what Wives and Husbands do in domestic chores; crop, vegetable and fruit, as well as livestock productions; and selling of agricultural products. Besides, the study was designed to see the influencing factors for the division of tasks among Husbands and Wives in their decision making roles at household level. Descriptive Qualitative research design and purposive sampling technique were used and the data collected from non-participatory observation, in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were thematically analysed. Thus, from the population of the three woredas, namely Madda Walabu, Gindhir and Goro, wives and husbands who live under the roof were purposely selected for in depth interview and FGD. The criteria used to select participants were: farmer Husbands and Wives who were recognized by local community leaders as models in terms of economic status; Husbands and Wives from religious leaders; and Husbands and Wives from Abbaa Gadaa and Haadha Siinqee representatives. Accordingly, six model farmer husbands and wives from each woreda, with a total of 36 members from the three woredas; two Husbands and Wives from religious leaders households from each woreda, which means 12 participants from the three woredas and Husbands and Wives from Abbaa Gadaa representatives (one Abbaa Gadaa and one Haadha Siinqee representatives from each woreda, with the total of 6 participants from the three districts. Accordingly, 54 participants were purposely selected as sample size of this study. The finding of the study revealed that there is clear gender division of labor in the study areas. The study found that the causes for gender division of labor among husbands and wives in the study areas are interrelated contributory factors (notably, natural or biological; culture ?? religion related, Gadaa system; and contamination of indigenous cultures by modern values and norms. The finding indicated that wives perform triple roles: reproductive, productive and community service roles. These include giving birth, breast feeding which is biological, and all other tasks in household chores, selling of socially feminized agricultural and animal products like milk, butter, potato and onion, and saving and managing the income of the household. They also perform most of the tasks in livestock productions. On the contrary, husbands accomplish most of the tasks in crop production; and burying of dead human body and animal slaughtering were exclusively done by them. However, wives also accomplish other tasks alone and, crop, vegetable and fruit productions together with their husbands. The study also disclosed that in many ways, women??s inferior status in the household decision making is the cause of gender inequality, which includes biased gender division of labour imposed on women. Hence, the study recommended that there is a need to ease the burden of the wives in the study area through creating awareness for society in general and for husbands and wives in particular in fairly sharing of non- biological or gender neutral roles. Key words: Gender, Gender
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