Maasai Women
Maasai Women
Much like other marginalized women across African countries, a significant number of Maasai women in Kenya find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty and cultural limitations. Just one generation ago, fewer than 20 percent of Maasai women attended school. Fast forward to today: despite the introduction of free primary school education in Kenya back in January 2003, less than half of Maasai girls are enrolling, and a mere 10 percent manage to continue to secondary education.
Generally, Maasai girls undergo circumcision before they are 13 and shortly thereafter enter into marriage with a man selected by her father in return for cattle and money. A Maasai woman is seldom permitted to seek divorce, save for the most severe situations involving physical harm, and she is not allowed to remarry, even if her chosen husband is an elderly man who passes away while she is still a teenager. Rather, she becomes the property of one of her husband’s brothers. She will be one of several wives, with the expectation of having numerous children, no matter her health or capacity to care for them. Each day, she will rise at the crack of dawn to milk cows, spending her daylight hours trekking to water holes for laundry and hydration, all while hauling hefty loads of firewood back to her home. Should fate smile upon her, a donkey may help lighten her load. Her existence will be stripped of physical comforts, relying on a spouse and family she had no say in. Her life expectancy? A mere 45 years.
When a woman receives an education, she gains awareness of her rights and acquires the self-assurance and independence to advocate for them. She decides who to marry and sets her own timeline for marriage. She typically has fewer children, who in turn are healthier and receive a better education than those in the past. She will not subject her daughters to circumcision. Education provides her with financial stability. Remarkably, she allocates 90 percent of her income to her family, a stark contrast to the 35 percent that an educated man tends to contribute. Moreover, she remains committed to supporting her parents and never forgets her roots.
The Maasai rank among the most underprivileged tribes in East Africa. They are a noble and dignified group, fiercely committed to preserving their traditional way of life and cultural identity, even amidst the encroaching forces of modernity. Embracing a nomadic lifestyle, they raise cattle and goats, don vibrant traditional attire, and dwell in small settlements called manyattas—circular clusters of mud huts that reflect their unique heritage.The rising wave of land acquisition in Kenya’s Maasailand poses a significant threat to their nomadic way of life, and the call for adaptation is becoming increasingly loud. This growing pressure intensifies the necessity for educating today’s youth, both boys and girls. Yet, in their quest to safeguard their traditions, the Maasai have unwittingly upheld a system that strips women of fundamental human rights—including the right to education, autonomy over their own bodies, the freedom to decide whom and when to marry, and the space to voice their thoughts.
Organisations such as Maasai Girls Education Fund provide more information on what can be done to help
Video courtesy of TRACKS - Travel Documentaries - YouTube
