This thesis is a critical review of educated women’s leadership in their emancipation in Ethiopia. Did they provide leadership and to what extent? It is to be noted that educated women’s leadership has been of great importance to women’s emancipation worldwide. Strong leadership was also the driving force behind women’s movements and feminism everywhere. However, the role of educated women in Ethiopia is hard to discern and their leadership efforts are largely invisible. On the other hand, many among the educated also lack the passion and desire to commit themselves in the fight for women’s emancipation. In this thesis I researched the settings and frameworks of women’s leadership and discussed the factors that function as limitations and/or opportunities. Overall there were more limitations than opportunities. These limitations are often historically rooted in the country’s religious, cultural, economic, political and traditional systems. And, as much as history and religion can be a source of strength and pride for many, they can also be a serious obstacle. The political regime of the Derg also scarred an entire population to the extent that despite the currently proclaimed ‘freedom’ of the EPRDF ruling party, women remain reluctant to step forward and claim their rights. The ruling party appears to appropriate women’s emancipation as a “private” interest and to use it for political gain, in the same manner as the Derg regime had done before it. Nowhere is there any sign of genuine freedom and equality for women in practice. Rhetoric reigns supreme through laws and policy documents, but they are not matched by genuine actions and concrete strategies. The traditional religious base of society is also making it more difficult to challenge autocratic tendencies of the ruling elite. The effect is that civil society is slowly being pushed to extinction, leaving the ruling party in charge as the main actor in all public services. This has serious consequences for the genuine emancipation of women in the country. The thesis finds that women’s leadership is not a luxury or personal demand, but a crucial step for the development of the country at large. It is encouraging to note that there are different sections of active women in the country waiting for strong leadership, leadership that can unite them into a movement and guide them on their unique emancipation paths. After all, it is only women themselves who, with their existing epistemic advantage, can transform their situation and change their status. / Sociology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

Inicialmente buscou-se traçar o arcabouço teórico sobre o qual seria analisado o objeto do trabalho, os reflexos da carência econômica sobre as potencialidades de acesso à justiça. Este alicerce consistiu em pontuar a linha evolutiva do caráter da função jurisdicional desde os lindes do Estado Liberal, passando ao Estado do Bem-Estar Social e culminando no Estado Pós-Social, com o principal enfoque no caráter que a garantia de acesso à justiça recebeu em cada um destes contextos. Foram tratados temas paralelos, como a questão do conhecimento acerca dos direitos, bem como a eliminação de custas, solução bastante alvitrada por alguns, intensamente rechaçada por outros. Depois passou-se à averiguação dos reflexos que a disparidade de condição econômica das partes causa sobre a igualdade destas no processo, e o instrumental conferido ao juiz para a correção das distorções, seguindo-se com o enquadramento da assistência jurídica no quadro de garantias processuais que constitui o que se denomina na doutrina processo justo e équo. Foram realizadas as distinções básicas ente assistência jurídica; assistência judiciária e justiça gratuita. Fez-se ainda uma breve análise de direito comparado, com alguns elementos históricos, concluindo-se com a indicação de pontos que poderiam ser eficazmente aplicados ao sistema brasileiro. Entra-se então pela segunda parte do trabalho, voltada para a práxis, e que se prende primordialmente na análise do direito positivo brasileiro naquilo que concerne à assistência ao carente no exercício da garantia constitucional de acesso à justiça. Ao final são apresentadas de forma pontuada as conclusões gerais. / Initially we tried to trace the theoretical framework on which the object of the work would be analyzed, the effects of poverty over the possibilities of access to justice. This foundation was to point the evolution of the character of judicial function from the Liberal State, to the Welfare State and ending in Pos Welfare State, focusing most on the character of access to justice guarantee in each context. Parallel subjects were explored, like the question of knowledge about rights, as also the elimination of judicial fees, solution indeed defended by some, and intensely rejected by others. Following we searched the effects of economic disparity of the parts over the equality of them in lawsuit, and the instruments given to the judge to correct this distortions, concluding with the contextualization of legal aid in face of procedural guarantees that form what doctrine calls fair and equal trial. There were made the basic distinctions between legal aid in consulting; providing counselors and gratuity from fees. There is a small analysis of comparative law, including some historical elements, concluding with the pointing out of some suggestions that could be profitable in Brazilian system. We enter the second half of the work, facing the praxis, specially analyzing Brazilian law system concerning legal aid in exercising the constitutional right of access to justice. At the end, the general conclusions are presented in topics.