Determinants of Women's Participation in Trading Activities: The Case of 'Saris Gebeya ' Women Taders
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The informal sector provides more than half of the employment in urban Ethiopia and plays an
important role to absorb surplus labour and income generation in developing countries. In the
informal sector establishment of informal trade sector ranks second in terms of mlmber of
informal sector establishment in Ethiopia. Women are disproportionately located in the informal
sector.
A survey was conducted in March 2009 in Addis Ababa, 'Saris Gebeya' to assess the main
reasons underlying women's trading activities in the informal sector, to investigate the
demographic and socio-economic situation of women traders, to analyzes the factors which affect
performance of the informal traders and to suggest policy measures that improves women's role
(participation) in informal trade in the study area. Enumerators administered structilred
questionnaire was usedfor data collection. Data were collectedfrom "Saris Gebeya" and a total
of 422 study subjects were included in the study, the data were cleaned, edited and entered in to a
computer and analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, linear regression and multivariate statistical
techniques. Statistical tests were done at a level of significance of p < 0.05.
The study revealed that about 74% of sampled women traders are informal traders. There was a
significant association (p<0.05) between trade participation (informal and formal) and socioeconomic
and demographic variables such as schooling, age, access to credit, access to market,
birth place, household income, initial capital, and accesses to training. Age of the respondents,
respondents who have workers with them, record keeping about their business and husband
attitude (supportiveJare the most importafft factors-which determine the performance of-womeninformal
traders positively.
Most of women informal traders need to be organized under cooperatives, to facilitate the
availability of work places, to facilitate market and to get credit. The stildy revealed major
problems that faced women informal traders in their business operation were lack of working
place (convenient), shortage of working capital, lack of creditfacility, and lack of training.Based on the above findings. improving vocational education. training. access to credit. access to
working place. access to market and supporting women to be organized under cooperatives are
recommended to solve the problem faced by the study community.
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Keywords
Determinants of Women's Participation, Trading Activities