Lets get lost in the world together: July 2014

“Women do two-thirds of the world’s work. They produce about 60 to 80 percent of Africa’s and Asia’s food, 40 percentage of Latin America’s. Yet they earn only one-tenth of the world’s income and own less than one percent of the world’s property. They are among the poorest of the world’s poor.” –Barber Conable, World Bank.

“You are one of how many” and that is how the conversation always begins. I respond “I am one of three; we have three girls in my family.” The next response always seems to be “no boys”! Then, I always say “yes, no boys”. The conversation usually ends with the person saying “I’m very sorry, no boys in the family is not good”. That may seem like a very innocent statement; however, this is just a glimpse into the Kisii culture.

I cannot say I am naive to the fact that gender inequality still exists. Do I support gender equality? Of course! But with an upbringing from the United States my feminist ideas have always centered on reproductive rights, the “glass ceiling”, and my self-absorbed determination to have an education and a career. It was not until I traveled to India did I realize the inconsistencies among the rights of men and women. Although the feeling of oppression is never forgotten, that feeling can be easily tucked away when you, an American female, return to your home country. A place where you are immediately granted more equality than thought possible in other countries. Kenya, but more so the Kisii culture has reawaked these feelings, making me face the fact that gender inequality still exists on a global scale.

It would be ridiculous of me to pretend that I know what it’s like to be a woman here. I was born and raised in the States. I come from a family of all girls where disappointment was never once expressed of never having a male child. My mother always worked. It was assumed I would attend University and have a profession. However in the Kisii culture, expectations for women are much different.

It’s hard for me to give you an accurate depiction of a women’s life because I am just an outsider looking in. I don’t know every woman, and I don’t know all their life stories. However, if there is one universal truth about women it is, they like to talk! It doesn’t matter if they are American or Kenyan, women talk about their children, their husbands, and of course other women. Although I try to keep my conversations lighthearted, based off of my encounters with them, thus far, I have learned that women are my window into the Kenyan interior world. They are my window into the issues of family, culture, poverty and oppression.

The main tribe in my village is the Kisii tribe. The longer I’m here the more I am realizing how patriarchal this society is. More often than not the women of this tribe are juggling full time jobs, the care of the house, the children, and the husband. These women engage in strenuous work that includes collecting, and hauling firewood and water from miles away. These women usually work six days a week to scrape together pennies to send their children to school. On their “days off” they abuse their bodies in the African sun harvesting, and planting crops. When the day is over they cook over charcoal or wood stoves (which usually sits on the floor of their hut) and kneed chapatti using a back-breaking bent forward motion. Also, in addition to work, being a farmer and caring for the home, the woman is usually a mother. Therefore she is probably doing all these tasks while breastfeeding and watching five children.

One may say this is just their culture, women care for the home and children, while men are the “bread winners”. These are their traditional gender roles. In fact, I might even agree with this statement to some extent. After all, progressive is not how I would define the Kisii culture. But, I have a very hard time accepting that some men do not consider a woman’s work at home “real work”. I have asked several men in Tabaka if they know how to cook? Never once have I got an actual yes or no response. Usually they laugh and say “Cooking? Not possible, that is women’s work”.

I also have a really hard time accepting the amount of alcohol abuse that occurs among men in this tribe. I truly believe there is a direct correlation between alcohol consumption and unemployment. The amount of unemployed men in my village contributes to the stress of the women here as well. This leaves many of the women to deal with the financial burdens in addition to everything else she is managing back at home. Yet she is not in control of the family or financial decisions.

However, the issue of gender inequality goes much deeper than defined gender roles. To understand the oppression many women face you must first understand their culture. This is a culture that values men and the male child. However, I can’t really give a clear reason why. As far as I can tell it has nothing to do with religion which is the case in some cultures. However, if I were to guess I would assume that it’s because typically men stay with the family, while women marry into another. In addition, men typically inherit a family’s wealth. Although women are now legally allowed to own land and inherit money, historically this was not the case.

I would like to say that gender inequality is only present in rural villages, but, I cannot. Polygamy is commonly practiced by some men in Kenya. It seems to me in some cases women are being used as baby making machines or to feed their husbands sexual appetite. In fact, I work with a man who has four wives and 26 children. According to the newly revised Kenyan constitution a man is legally allowed to have multiple wives. However, I have yet to hear of a women with multiple husbands. I consider this a major step backwards in gender equality. However, in some backwards way this law is designed to protect a women’s parental rights or from being disinherited. Being legally married makes the relationship and children considered legitimate.

Finally, one of the most extreme acts of oppression I have seen is female genital mutilation. (FGM) Although FGM is illegal in Kenya (which I consider a major step toward equality) it is still a cultural tradition practiced by many tribes, especially the Kisii tribe. The ideology behind FGM is that it promotes purity, modesty and aesthetics. It is used in an attempt to control women's sexuality. Besides the fact the FGM is in complete violation of a women’s rights, FGM also has a devastating effect on a woman’s health. Because it is illegal, mutilation usually occurs in a non-sterile environment using knifes, razors, or rocks. It can lead to fatal bleeding, infection, infertility, HIV, neonatal mortality and the list continues. Unfortunately, I have witnessed the aftermath of such acts too many times to count.

As an American female of course I have strong opinions as to how females should be treated around the world. However, when you think about it, the United States is progressive in comparison to the rest of the world. The U.S. is the oddball. We still live in a world where education is commonly denied because of your sex, FGM is still practiced and female infanticide still occurs. If the Kisii culture has done one thing, it has made me realize the importance of education for both men and women. Both play a huge role in the progression of women’s rights. Through education, the cycle of poverty and illiteracy can be broken. Education will insure that young girls around the world have choices; choices about their bodies and their futures.