Women participation in formal decision-making: Empirical evidence from participatory forest management in Ethiopia. (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kahsay, Goytom Abraha; Nordén, Anna; Bulte, Erwin
• Is Part Of: Global environmental change. Volume 70(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Participatory forest management -- Women decision-making -- Forest user groups -- Women participation -- Women leadership; D02 -- D71 -- Q23 -- Q57; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; Homme -- Influence sur la nature -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Human ecology; Nature -- Effect of human beings on; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102363
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3780

Abstract

Highlights: We investigate the association between women participation in decision-making and several forest management outcomes. We find that women participation in executive committees is associated with greater forest management outcomes. Results for women participation in meetings are weaker and not robust across alternative models. Abstract: Amid growing emphasis on community-based approaches to natural resource management, there are concerns about the lack of women participation in communal decision-making. We analyze the association between participation of women in decision-making of forest user groups in Ethiopia and several forest management outcomes. We combine longitudinal survey, administrative and forest inventory data and find that participation of women in executive committees (i.e., formal decision-making) is associated with greater forest benefits, and an improved (perceived and actual) condition of the forest. Alternatively, the association between women participation in group-level meetings and outcomes is not robust. This implies that women participation in formal decision-making is required to reach forest conservation and livelihood gains.