The intra-household gendered burden of animal diseases in livestock-producing households in Ethiopia: Results from key informant interviews and a scoping review

Ethiopia is a highly agrarian economy, though livestocks contribution falls below its potential. Women play a significant role in livestock production; however, the literature on gendered dynamics of livestock disease is limited, particularly at the intra-household level. This work marks the first gender-focused study within the Global Burden of Animal Disease programme. Its goal is to enhance the programmes aim of disaggregating the economic burden borne by humans due to animal disease. It explores the extent to which existing knowledge can be disaggregated by gender within households. A scoping review of the existing literature on the intra-household burden of animal disease in Ethiopia was conducted, with 143 articles screened. This was supplemented by seventeen key informant interviews consisting of individuals or knowledgeable representatives from organisations known to the authors for their work in Ethiopia and/or on gender, livestock production, and animal disease. Only one study directly addressed the intra-household gendered dimensions of animal disease burden in Ethiopia. Data were extracted in MS Excel. Adult men and women were found to be most impacted due to their roles in income generation and providing animal-sourced foods, and their need to compensate for losses during disease outbreaks. However, all household members contribute to disease transmission through gender-specific responsibilities. Key informant interviews were analysed in NVivo to determine themes in responses. Participants noted that household members engage in distinct transmission activities and face unequal consequences shaped by gendered norms and emphasised the need for gender-disaggregated data. We advocate for primary, contextually grounded data collection that routinely includes gender- and age-disaggregated measures of exposure, decision-making, empowerment, and economic outcomes, complemented by qualitative enquiry. This would enable the design of targeted interventions to reduce animal and human morbidity and mortality while protecting livelihoods and promoting equity.