Background: To attain the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, it is important to understand gender disparities and to design appropriate interventions. This study aimed to analyze the context of gender disparities in Afar region, Ethiopia.

Method: Using a pre-established gender analysis framework, an explorative qualitative study was conducted in five districts. Sixteen key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted with adolescent and youth aged 10-29 years and adult women and men aged 30-49 years and 30-54 years respectively. The analysis included the exploration of five gender dimensions including division of labour, access and control over resources, sense of self-efficacy, decision-making autonomy, and policy environment affecting women’s sexual reproductive health status.

Results: This study revealed that housekeeping in the family which includes household chores, house construction for the family, and caring for cattle is the responsibility of women. Relative to men, women in Afar are at a socioeconomic disadvantage as they are prevented from owning or controlling resources within the family. Access to education is low for girls and largely privileged for boys which limits their access to information and socio-economic mobility. Women commonly marry at an early age, further limiting their access to education. Additionally, women are limited in their ability to freely access health care services; there is a community practice of accompaniment, which discourages health-seeking behaviors of women. The fate of many rights for young girls associated to cultural norms and marriage approach of the region called Absuma or cousin –prospective husband. Absuma - promissory marriage arrangement whereby the future husbands of girls are known before they are born is the most important factor that hinders Afari women’s and girls’ gender equality. Collectively, these factors contribute significantly to the sexual and reproductive health challenges faced by women and girls in the study area.

Conclusion: Women and girls are the most vulnerable members of the Afar society. Many of the region’s social and cultural norms limit women’s access to power, marginalizing them within their communities. It is critical the government and various stakeholders to design an integrated approach to enable gender equity within the community. Moreover, the women’s health should address this problem to meet the SDG target of gender equality.

Keywords: Gender; gender analysis, gender equity, value, empowerment