These are some of the faces of Albanian rural women who have sworn an oath of chastity and life as a male.
"The tradition of the sworn virgin in Albania, a ritual of self-empowerment for rural women who become patriarchs of their families by swearing an oath to remain celibate, was born of a social necessity in an agrarian region plagued by war and death. About 40 sworn virgins remain in the northern Albanian countryside."
These women dress like men, work with men, and are considered men in their communities. Many times Albanian women have chosen this path when the family lost the head male figure in the family, such as the father or the eldest brother. It is a unique part of Albanian culture, first documented in the 1800s.
This definitely can be related to social issues in current events and the NATO conference. Albania's current government leans more on the conservative side of social issues but has several laws to protect gay and lesbian rights. It is interesting to note, however, that transgender rights and laws are not prevalent in current Albanian legislation, with the most focus being gay rights.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/25/world/20080625VIRGINS_index.html?ref=albania
This is very interesting seeing as there isn't much emphasis on transgender rights. I can see how in rural areas this could be a part of the culture in a country as small as Albania. I think it's a really cool thing though that the women can take a lead role in the family as a head of the family in this sense.
ReplyDeleteI think an important difference between this case and what you would see in (at least) Western nations is that in Albania, they are effectively no longer seen as a women. Women in the same position, taking care of their families during and after war, have not "stopped" being a woman. Why they [Albanians] would do this makes sense, but I don't see why it is necessary for the woman to be celibate AND to be seen as a man. Why can't these Albanian women be the head of the family and have their own at the same time? Transgender, gay, and lesbian rights are important, but I am not seeing how the lack of emphasis on them is pushing them into this role (especially seeing as how they have all the rights a man does after this).
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, how far does this perception of them go? Start of with the "average" woman in this case. She is considered a man, and she is treated as a man. Despite the cultural traditions in this case, would "he" face any consequences or lack of rights if "he" takes a perceived woman as "his" lover?
On another different note, how (if at all) would this affect the relationships that Albania has with other countries?