Abstract
Traditionally the attitude to women’s participation in social life and decision-making process in Somali is controversial. On the one hand folklore sources say about inability of women to take serious decisions, women were not invited or just neglected on public meetings, their value was lower than the one of camels of the same family. On the other hand – women had great influence on their husbands who are responsible for social order. According to customary law women were regarded as a strong tie between different tribes, an element for tribal exchange and guaranteed social stability.
Nowadays to my mind mostly due to western feminist movement Somali women have got a chance to raise their voices to be heard. As diaspora members Somali women successfully cooperate with their European and American women in the sphere of gender equality. Somali women actively take part in peaceful conferences, publish articles, write books. They are rare and there is still much hard work to do.
Somali women in diaspora are different from the ones in Somali in many aspects. Problems of gender inequality are usually difficult to explain rural women who consider existing way of treating women a part of customary law and the traditional way of life. Sometimes it is almost impossible to change some elements of traditional life without endangering the whole structure of the society or creating more conflicts.
Keywords
Somali, women, gender problems, traditional society, feminists’ movement, diaspora
Comments
No posts found