The challenges and societal consequences of increased female participation at Ethiopian public universities

Ethiopia, while one of the world’s poorest countries, has one of the world’s fastest developing economies. In the last two decades the government has imparted on a public university development programme which has seen 29 new universities built all over the country. This rapid development is often criticised for sacrificing quality for quantity, but has had a notable success in bringing many more Ethiopian women into higher education. The traditional patriarchal nature of Ethiopian society has sometimes struggled to cope with the changes and challenges that are being brought about by an increasingly educated female population. Through key informant analysis of the opinions of 14 experts on Ethiopian development and education this article looks at some of the major changes and challenges that universities are bringing about for female Ethiopians and asks what are the emerging consequences of increased university participation for the lives of Ethiopian women.