Abstract

This article deals with the interactions among the customary, religious, and state laws to address property sharing upon marriage dissolution among the Oromo in Jimma, Ethiopia. Primary data were collected from the field through key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and case studies. All the informants were purposively selected from local mediators, relevant government offices, divorcees, and judges. The article indicates the coexistence and interactions among the state, customary, and religious justice systems, while the latter two are points of entry to obstruct the rights of women to share common property upon marriage dissolution. The central argument of the paper is that legal equality alone cannot ensure women’s property rights in the context of legal pluralism, where religious and customary laws hamper the functioning of the statutory laws governing women’s everyday lives. The article shows that the prevailing patriarchal system accommodates and promotes unequal gender norms in the study area. Yet, the state law is predominant over the religious and customary laws in ending marriages with divorce. The pro-gender equality stance of the state law on the division of property upon marriage dissolution also results in an increasing number of women presenting their cases to the formal court.

摘要

本文探讨习惯法、宗教法和州法之间的相互作用，以解决埃塞俄比亚吉马奥罗莫人解除婚姻后的财产分享问题。主要数据是通过关键线人访谈、焦点小组讨论 (FGD) 和案例研究从现场收集的。所有的线人都是有目的地从当地调解员、相关政府部门、离婚者和法官中挑选出来的。文章指出国家、习惯和宗教司法系统之间的共存和相互作用，而后两者是阻碍妇女在婚姻解除时分享共同财产的权利的切入点。该论文的中心论点是，在法律多元化的背景下，仅靠法律平等并不能确保妇女的财产权，宗教和习惯法阻碍规范妇女日常生活的成文法的运作。文章表明，盛行的父权制在研究区容纳并助长了不平等的性别规范。然而，在以离婚结束婚姻方面，州法律优于宗教和习惯法。国家法律关于婚姻解除财产分割的支持性别平等的立场也导致越来越多的妇女向正规法院提起诉讼。