Fundamental Mormons seek recognition for polygamy

[malkin767]

By Jason Szep

Comments

[mollyfurie]

As I said, Iknow little about the Maasai, so I decided to look them up. I am always happy to find any sign of female equality in any society anywhere. Ihave stopped simply assuming it on the basis of a few reports, or on the basis that certain areas of life are "controlled" by women because so often tribal societies are romanticized by those writing about them, that they lose all connection to reality. Of course, many professional journals are not available to the lay person on the net, and it must be in THOSE studies of the Masai that the position of Maasai women is seen to be so powerful in religion.

Here are the results of my reasearch on the internet:
http://www.globalcrossroad.com/tanzania/workwomensgroup.php

http://etudesafricaines.revues.org/document4989.html

I found this excerpt amusing:
http://www.getcustoms.com/2004GTC/Articles/ga-2004-03-15.html
"Africa for Women Travelers
"Africa presents particular challenges for women travelers. The lives of most African women are not easy; in addition to poverty, disease and political instability, they are burdened with cultural limitations.
Among many African groups, such as the Masai of east Africa, women do almost all of the daily chores. Such work is considered beneath Masai men, who consider themselves warriors. (Since there is little work for warriors outside of the armed forces, many Masai men spend their days drinking tea.)."

And especially:
http://www.angonet.kabissa.org/masai_womanpage.htm :
"Maasai people traditionally depend largely on pastoralism and small scale farming for their livelihood. Like most societies, Maasai women and men have different roles and responsibilities to play. These roles and responsibilities are traditionally governed by culture and customs. In Maasai community, women are responsible for daily family needs. However, they face major constraints in gaining access to the resources for fulfilling those needs. These include, traditions which restrict women from the right for education and the control and ownership over resources that leads to lack of power in decision-making. These constraints particularly effect women's opportunities and their choices in life. ".............................."It coordinates and facilitates educational seminars, training in the form of adult education campaigns on gender and human rights relations among the Maasai community. These campaigns include:
Campaign against Female Genital Mutilation
Gender equality and the right to own property
Women and the environment
Women as environmental managers
Environmental conservation and ecology...................."

The first two items tell the whole story, don't they? Oh wait, no - that's an 'always' statement. But they do tell a story..........................

The "Reply" button is the

[kenosis]

Somehow you turned this from a "Men have always made religion, and they've always made it to suit themselves" into trying to find female equality in spheres outside of religion.

Let me ask you this: when you say "equality", what, exactly, do you mean? Equal opportunities? Equal actualization? Equal legal status? Equal income? Equal leisure time? I'm not being a smart-ass or something, I'm just want to know what you would say would be a characteristic of a society where men and women are equal -- within the confines of anthropology.

Re: The "Reply" button is the

[mollyfurie]

Well I guess the Very First Thing is that female genital mutilation would NOT be an indication of a high or equal status for women. The intent of such procedures is to limit or eliminate the sexual feelings of women - to ensure their fidelity by robbing them of sexual urges as far as possible. If you - like so many in anthropology - argue that this custom is perfectly OK (and probably nobodys business), at least consider the increased risk to both mother and child in childbirth, and the fairly high death rate for the young girls on whom the operation is performed.

I suppose not haveng chattel status would be another - tho' I don't have any reason to believe that Maasai women are chattel in law. She would have to consent to a mate, rather than having him chose for her - and she would have the option of not marrying. She would have access to education, to earn money for herself, to support herself if need be. She would not be excluded from all lucrative or high status occupations - if a strict division of labor exists, women's occupations would be considered as honorable as men's. She would be able to own property in her own right, and have some say in her own defense if accused of a crime.

Now in all of this, she might not be technically equal, but she would have choices and the right to live a life of her own. It's a start.

Re: The "Reply" button is the

[kenosis]

So what would technically equal mean?

Re: The "Reply" button is the

[mollyfurie]

Well, that she might freely engage in any activity that a man would in her society (saving reproduction). And that her contibutions would be acknowledged and rewarded in the same amount. That is how we tend to define it in OUR tribe.