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Due to various ill-favored traditional imitations and patriarchal thoughts dictating land and other productive assets should belong to the male, women are being side tracked from the playground. Even where women´s legal rights have been provided for, ignorance of such rights exacerbated by illiteracy ensures that they do not benefit from such provision. However, the effectiveness of laws in according women equal opportunities with men depends largely on the society´s willingness and ability to enforce such laws, the historical and cultural subordination of women at large hinders the realization the mentioned fact. This book assessed the major predicaments women facing from a socio-legal and cultural perspectives and tried to contribute its share to the existing scarcity of literature in this regard in such away to instigate further research undertakings in this under exploited topic. Further, this material is believed to render planners and policy makers in the area of gender, with basic informative baseline data to enabling them consider the socio-cultural scenarios before making an attempt of launching any development plan.

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Getachew Shambel, M.A: Studied Regional and Local Development Studies (RLDS) at Addis Abeba University. Lecturer and researcher at Haramaya University, Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension (RDAE), Ethiopia

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