Terefe, Hirut (PhD)Megersa, Tsegaye2018-06-252023-11-042018-06-252023-11-042015-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/3287Gender based violence is any act of physical, psychological, and sexual impacts on women by men due to the fact that they are women. Different studies conducted on gender based violence among the communities of Arsi zone emphasizes on the magnitude of the problem and never mainly discussed on the root causes of the problem. By understanding this gap, this study tries to look on some of the main causes associated with the culture of the local community and other non cultural causes which further aggravate the problems. In addition, this study revealed different consequences of gender based violence in the local context and pave the way for further studies in the area of gender based violence. The objectives of this study are assessing how gender based violence is embeded in the socio cultural practices of the society, identifying the possible causes that further exacerbate the situation of gender based violence against women in Hetosa district, exploring the inequalities of gender as a social construction that paves the way for gender based violence, and finally describing the consequences of gender based violence on individual and society of the study area. This study is conducted under the umbrella of qualitative research methodology and the data sources were both primary and secondary sources. In that, systematic observation, interview and focus group discussion are the data gathering techniques under primary sources and different earlier studies by other researchers, and published books are the secondary sources of this study. I made indepth interviews with women, focus group discussion with women who experience gender based violence and were reporting there cases to the formal court system, the police, or women and children affairs. Hence, the target groups of this study are women in the age of majority (18+) and women who have suffered from any types of gender based violence. Some men were also among my key informants who provided me with a wide range of information concerning gender based violence. In this study, I used different approaches to conduct women at the police office, women and children affairs office, local court compound and home to home visit. It is found that the main cultural causes for gender based violence among the community of Hetosa district are traditional marital structure, religion based attitudes, gender socialization, social attitudes toward sexes, patriarchical institutions, and the weakinig of traditional inistitutions that safeguard the rights of women. Other non cultural causes include individual/ group interest, low education/ illitrecy, alcohol and drug abuse, and risk calculation. This study also identified the main types of gender based violence among the people of Hetosa district like economic abuse, sexual harassment/ emotional abuse, woman beating, and rape. Other types of gender based violence like abduction, female genital mutilation, and early marriage are found to be rarely occur in in the area of my study. The earlier major types of gender based violence identified among the people of Hetosa district has different consequences on individuals and community at large. Some of the main consequences identified are marital divorce, poverty, physical harm/ injury, unwanted pregnancy, child birth or abortion, vulnerability to sexually transmitted disease, mental illness, and murderenSocial AnthropologyGender Based Violence in the Rural Setting of Arsi: Causes And Consequence Analysis In Hetosa DistrictThesis