Resources, not capital: A case study of the gendered distribution and productivity of social network ties in rural Ethiopia

Access to not only physical resources but also social resources differs considerably among men and women, and often, women's access to formal markets is dependent upon their own linkages with men. Poverty interventions aimed at women must take these differences in consideration in order to ensure successful implementation. This article makes the distinction between social resources and social capital and uses a case study from the Birbirssa Peasant Association (PA) in the Ambo Wereda in Western Shewa, Ethiopia, to illustrate the differences in one's access to them according to gender. The results support the increasing research indicating gendered differences in regards to the distribution and productivity of social resources as well as the necessity of gender-appropriate poverty interventions.