Women in Mali

10/Jul/2011 09:05 Filed in: Life in Timbuktu

Many articles and reports have been done on the condition of women in Africa or in Islam or in Muslim Africa and so on. I have often been asked my opinion either on the veracity of said articles or on the condition of women in such circumstances. My response is that it is much more complex than can easily be summed up in a 500 word article. It is also my feeling that such articles written by outsiders are often biased.

I will not deny that there is inequality of the sexes in Mali and I will discuss them. But other factors play a role. We must look not only at how our perceptions cause us to misjudge cultural differences but also that some issues that women face are not so much intentional discrimination rather they are the result of a very poor country with too few resources to meet the needs of its population. The final aspect of this question is that we in the west must first examine our own women's equality before seeking to accuse others. Let not those living in glass houses throw stones.
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Tags: Women, traditions, marriage, Religion