Gender and Conflict Management: The Role of Women’s in Indigenous Conflict Resolutions for Peace Building in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Evidence from around the world and across cultures showed that integrating women and gender considerations into peace-building processes helps to promote democracy, good governance, long-term stability and development. The inclusion of gender perspectives into conflict analyses can be beneficial not only to ensure better understanding of conflict dynamics, but also to highlight the linkages with development and poverty issues. Hence, the current review is aims to assess the role of women’s in indigenous conflict resolution in different regions of Ethiopia. All available materials were reviewed. The results of the review disclosed that even if women’s formal participation in the highest leadership positions were formally closed, it is documented that throughout the world, women had played critical roles in times of wars and peace as community organizers and activists. The findings further showed that the role and participation of women in the indigenous conflict management mechanisms is low and insignificant in Tigray. In indigenous system, women play an indirect role in Amhara and Tigray. In Oromia region, women have a great role in solving conflicts among Oromo clans by intervene and request for reconciliation by using the institution called Siqqe. They also have the right and power to reconcile Oromo people to their God called Waqqa by praying to God for them. In Somalia, Women’s also play multiple roles before, during and after conflicts. Women of South nations and nationality play different roles in addressing conflicts either along with men or alone and the male based institutions address conflicts in equal basis irrespective of sex. Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that, Ethiopian women’s play a pivotal role and still working to maintain peace and security across all provinces of the country. Therefore, women should be respected as they have a lion share role in indigenous conflict resolutions as well as they should be empowered to involve in peace promotion and peacemaking at regional and country level.

Keywords: Gender, Indigenous, Conflict resolutions, Peace building, Ethiopia

DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/80-01

Publication date: February 29^th 2020