Sunday, February 08, 2004
Gender Bending
This is a really cool article on gender-switching in Albanian culture.
In this very strictly gender-segregated society, some women can achieve some level of power and self-determination...by ceasing to have one of the most basic powers of self-determination. It's all well and good that the Sworn Virgins get to have many of the rights and privileges of being a man, but they give up sexuality. And companionship, it seems. While it sounds 'better' on the surface than most repressive societies' systems, I'm not sure I buy that. At all.
In this very strictly gender-segregated society, some women can achieve some level of power and self-determination...by ceasing to have one of the most basic powers of self-determination. It's all well and good that the Sworn Virgins get to have many of the rights and privileges of being a man, but they give up sexuality. And companionship, it seems. While it sounds 'better' on the surface than most repressive societies' systems, I'm not sure I buy that. At all.
