Gender inequalities in asset ownership have historically excluded women from participating in development and increased their vulnerability to poverty. This gap remains unexplored, particularly in Ethiopia, because most asset surveys gather household data, which masks the differences between spouses. Thus, this study uses individual data from the Ethiopian Gender Asset Gap Survey 2021 to explore spatial patterns of women’s shares in principal asset ownership and associated factors. This study used a multivariate covariance generalized linear model with an autoregressive structure and Tweedie variance to identify patterns and account for women’s shares of asset owner’s variability across different zones. The analysis shows that women’s shares in these principal assets are consistently lower than men’s, with a clear regional pattern and significant variabilities across the zones. In light of this, involvement in decision-making and closeness to the household heads are positively associated with women’s shares of agricultural land, dwellings, and livestock ownership, whereas age of the household head and employment participation were negatively associated with women’s shares of agricultural land, real estate, and financial assets. Preschool education had both positive (real estate) and negative (agricultural land and financial assets) effects. Besides, male household headship and household size are significantly associated with women’s shares in principal assets. The study underscores the need for local, multi-dimensional, spatially informed measures, such as women’s decision-making engagement through capacity building, gender mainstreaming, and community engagement, and regular assessments to increase women’s shares in principal assets owners and enhance economic well-being at different administrative levels.
Dessie et al. (Sat,) studied this question.