ABSTRACT
Patriarchy is at the core of the major dilemmas of human security. This article describes in detail how patriarchal cultural roots and political practices impede the potential contributions of women to the wellbeing of the Ethiopian nation. The failure to meet women’s needs and their continued exclusion from power serve to illuminate how the priority given to national security as militarized state security obviates efforts to strengthen human security. Inquiring into the problematic of gender and human security posed by this article calls us to assess the political status and potential of women and the links between democracy and human security.
