Abstract: Empowering the poor through household asset building and improving their economic status is now one of the top prioritized agenda by Ethiopian government. To address this, gauging gender differences in terms of determinants of income and asset accumulation by assessing the practical social and economic characteristics of FHH and MHH is critical in the area. This study was conducted in Arbaminch surrounding by selecting four rural kebeles. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select 160 household heads for the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interview, key informant interviews and focus group discussion.