Negotiating spaces of marginality and independence: On women entrepreneurs within Ethiopian urbanization and water precarity

• Women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia develop their small informal businesses through the spaces of marginality and articulation independence. Independence is gained mobility developing income source seen as control over bodies. The lens negotiating ‘independence’ integrates conflicting subjectivities. Marginality resistance, suffering claimed control, interpellation, re-construction own identities are simultaneously present. Water precarity a water-induced lack daily lives causes most suffering. In context growth Ethiopia’s market economy importance women-owned enterprises acknowledged, with barriers to economic success outlined limited number studies. However, struggles embodied experiences low-skilled women economies, well precarious unequal intermittent water environments, have been insufficiently understood. We analyse how strive for negotiate independence spatiality services, specifically water, affect ability business spaces. evidence derives from five studies, using mixed methods, conducted town Wukro, Ethiopia. methods used were household surveys, diary, interviews - owners coffee, alcohol, hair salons businesses. Our study finds that they simultaneous presence various, multilevel marginality/paradoxical one’s body. Unlike positive term ‘empowerment’, subjectivities, where suggest analysed not only evaluation shortages geographical sectorization but also perspective ‘water precarity’ (Sultana, 2020) our it was caused highlight this multidimensional approach pivotal supporting women’s entrepreneurship gender equality.