The impact of education on rural womens participation in political and economic activities

This study endeavored to investigate the impact of education on rural women’s participation in political and economic activities. Six hundred rural women and 12 gender Activists were selected for this study from three Zones of Amhara Region, Ethiopia using multi-stage random sampling technique and purposeful sampling techniques respectively. Questionnaire and interviews were used as instruments of data collection. The findings indicated that as rural women’s level of education increases, their involvement in political and economic activities and the possible advantages secured from their participation increase. That is, rural women with primary and secondary school educational experience have claimed significantly higher participation in political and economic affairs and highly benefited from their participation compared to the illiterate rural women. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the Ethiopian government has to introduce and expand integrated and functional adult literacy in the rural areas.