Women play a significant but often overlooked role in livestock production around the world. They are primarily responsible for tasks like milking, processing dairy products, feeding animals, and caring for young or sick animals. However, cultural factors mean that men typically control income from large livestock and decision-making. Constraints on women's participation include lack of access to resources, assets, knowledge, and income control. Addressing gender roles and divisions of labor is important for equitable and efficient livestock systems.

1. JIMMA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND VETERINARY
MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF AGRIBUSINESS AND VALUE CHAIN
MANAGEMENT (ABVM)
PRESENTATION ON
THE ROLE OF GENDER IN HANDLING, PROCESSING AND
PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTS
by
Metages Belete
Id MSc 0657205
December 2013

2. Objectives
 To understand the role of gender in livestock production
 To understand the gender division of labor
 To identify factors that constrained the role of women in
livestock production
2

3. Introduction
• The term gender refers to culturally based expectations of
the roles and behavior of women and men.
• It distinguishes the socially constructed from the biologically
determined aspects of being male and female (IFAD,2003)
• Gender issues focus not only on women, but on the
relationship between men and women, their roles, access to
and control over resources, and division of labour and needs.
• Gender relations determine household security, well-being of
the family, planning, production and many other aspects of
life.

4. Con.
• The majority of the world’s food producers are women.
• The United Nations estimates indicated that they provide 60
to 80 percent of the agricultural labour in Africa and Asia and
40 percent in Latin America.
• In Africa they produce most of the food their families
consume, while in Asia and Latin America women carry out
key stages of production and processing of crops and are the
main producers of vegetables, poultry and livestock for the
household (Adeokun,2000)

5. Con.
 Livestock is generally considered a key asset for rural
livelihoods
 It is important to understand
 The function of livestock for men and women
 Gender role played in animal products
 The economic and cultural role of livestock within the HHs
and the community

6. Con.
 The main activities in livestock production include;
 Feeding
 Watering
 Milking
 Animal heath care (IFAD,2003)

7. Gender role in animal products handling,
processing and preservation
 Women worldwide play important roles in livestock keeping
and provision of livestock services.
 Women play an important role in livestock management,
processing and marketing, acting as care providers, feed
gatherers, and birth attendants (ILRI, 2010)

8. Con.
Women's are typically responsible for;
o Milking
o Milk processing
o selling milk products
o providing feed and water
o caring for newborn lambskids and sick animals

9. Con.
Typically the tasks of male include;
 Slaughtering
 Administering modern medicines
 Giving traditional medicine
 Housing
 Herding large animals

10. Con.
Even if when they are not the owner, the women's manage and
care for animals in the HH (IFAD,2003)
Feed and manage calves, small ruminants and sick, injured and
pregnant animals
Clean barns, milk cows and make butter and cheese, cut the
grass and supervise the feeding of cows
On the other hand, men feed the oxen and take the animals for
veterinary treatment

11. Con.
Women's are more engage in feeding of cattle
Men involved in watering and disease management
As processor and retailer, women's make and sell butter and
cheese(FAOWHO, 2005)
 Women are generally associated with animals as milk
managers.
Young girls are also involved in the grazing of goats and
sheep.
Whereas married and young women are responsible for
household activities (ILRI, 2010)

12. Con.
They allocate the milk and its products for home consumption and
marketing depends on the number of milking cows, the number of
people in the HH, price of milk and dairy products.
Women's play an important management role in poultry farming
from feeding to marketing.
poultry enables them to (a) help the family in times of need, and
have cash for emergencies; (b) save money for future investments;
(c) obtain an income to provide for the needs of their children and
the household; and (d) supplement the family’s protein intake.
Chicken husbandry activity mostly dominated by women's
Bc it dose not require heavy manual labor and easily managed
within the homesteads.

13. Con.
In most African country approximately 80% of chicken flocks
are owned, controlled and managed by women
Men are more likely to be involved in constructing housing and
herding of grazing animals, and in marketing of products if
women's mobility is constrained.
While the influence of women is strong in the use of eggs, milk
and poultry meat for home consumption and they often have
control over marketing and the income from these products
(SOFA Team and Cheryl Doss 2011)

14. Con.
Men control income from the sale of cattle, sheep, goats and
honey (Gueye 1998; Mcainsh et al. 2004)
In urban area , Younger children especially girls are mostly
responsible for managing calves, chickens and small ruminants.
While men and older boys are responsible for treating sick
animals, constructing shelters, cutting grass and grazing of
cattle and small ruminants (Tegene, 2002)

15. Con.
 Women in developing countries work longer hours than men in
house- keeping, child caring, fetching firewood and water.
 Around 16 hours of work for women in Africa in their diverse
and numerous activities.
 The women’s productive role in agriculture is grossly under
valued because no economic value is placed on the work they
do in the farm, home and informal enterprises(Adeokun,2000)

16. Con.
 Most of the work and decision-making by women takes
place at the household level, while men take the animals
for grazing and participate in public meetings that relate to
animals husbandry
 Despite their considerable involvement and contribution,
women’s role in livestock production has often been
underestimated (SOFA Team and Cheryl Doss 2011)

17. Ownership of livestock
 The ownership of livestock bn men and women is strongly
related to social, cultural and economic factors. It depends on
the type of animals they raise
 In many societies, cattle and large animals are owned by men
 Small animals such as goats, sheep and chickens are more of a
women's domain
 Milk and milk products are mostly owned by women
 When the rearing of small animals becomes a more important
source of family income, ownership, management and control
are often turned over to the man (SOFA Team and Cheryl
Doss 2011)

18. Gender division of labor
 Varies across region to region in terms of age and sex division
of work
 Both men and women take part in livestock management
 Men are largely the decision makers for livestock production
 Women's are responsible for dairy related activities
 Children's also engage in animal herding.
 In addition to animal husbandry tasks, women's are responsible
for daily and time consuming tasks
 As example, in ilu ababora zone of Oromiya region (Ayalew et
al, 2013).

19. Con.

20. Factors constraining women's
contribution in livestock production
 Factors limiting participation and efficiency of women in
livestock production includes;(ILRI, 2010)
o Lack of access by women to capital and knowledge and
lack of control over assets.
o Ownership of different livestock species.
o Women’s control over income-generating activity
o Gender aspects in livestock projects.