Gender differences in demand for index based livestock insurance

Risk management plays a role in avoiding and escaping chronic poverty throughout the world, particularly for women, who are disproportionately negatively affected by shocks. Using three years of household survey data, administrative records and qualitative interviews, this paper examines the relationship between gender and demand for index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) among pastoralists in southern Ethiopia. Though IBLI appears to be equitably accessed by men and women alike, demand is gender-differentiated along three dimensions: risk aversion, informal insurance and product education channels. We also find modest differences associated with age and share of income from livestock.