Women in Sudan are facing and suffering from many
inequalities due to the confrontational division of Sudan into Sudan and South
Sudan. For many women in Sudan, there is no escape from misery. Mary Nyekueh
Ley describes her life as being a curse. Her first husband died in battle and
her second husband beat her. Two of her children also died from the simple
disease of diarrhea. And now, Mary is a southern conspicuous dark skinned
outsider in a northern land simply trying to raise her children (paragraph 5). But
what makes her situation worse is that the only marketing skill that she has is
making homebrewed alcohol which is a serious crime in Islamist Sudan. This has
led her to be put in jail and beaten many times. Even though Mrs. Ley’s
situation is extreme, it is not uncommon as hundreds of thousands of Southern Sudanese
who have lived in the north are now dealing with the conflict between the two
worlds of the north and south. It was in July, after decades of an underdog
guerrilla struggle that South Sudan broke off from Sudan, forming its own
nation (paragraph 8). Many southerners were ecstatic but those living in the
north, have only suffered and toiled due to the breaking of the border. Due to the
hostility between the two sides, another major conflict could break out at any
moment and cause more struggles for outsiders living on the wrong side. The
Sudanese government is going to begin stripping all southerners of their
citizenship, forcing them to apply for a visa if they wish to remain in Sudan.
However, for people such as Mrs.Ley, who face the inequalities of illiteracy
and poverty, this will prove to be very difficult. Even if someone was born in
the north but have southern ethnic ties, they will be considered as a
southerner. Hundreds of thousands of Southern Sudanese have had to relocate due
to the conflict. But many Southern Sudanese are still at risk of being killed
and South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world; a 15 year old girl
has a greater chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school. Mrs. Ley
struggles to feed her children and struggles to afford to send them to school,
the uprising between Sudan and South Sudan causing added strife, poverty, and
inequalities for many women and children throughout Sudan.
Most of
Sudan’s population is facing a vast amount of social inequalities due to the
state of division and conflict that the country is currently in. The social
inequality of poverty is rampant within Sudan, especially among women. Women
are faced with more poverty as their husbands leave them to fight in the war
and they are left as the sole providers for their families. Therefore, they
suffer from the effects of the feminization of poverty, with women and children
being most at risk of falling into poverty. Many women also end up having to
take up a “second shift,” having to take care of the home and provide financially
for their families, like Mrs.Ley and many other women in Sudan have had to do. And
also, as the book mentions, women continue to be victims of violence, sexual
exploitation, and discrimination. Especially during war conflicts, women face
greater inequalities as they are often raped and beaten. Women also have a
lesser chance of receiving an education since they are more likely to have
children and be at risk for dying than to be able to go to school and receive
an education. Therefore, the inequality and stratification of women based on
their gender is another social issue that Sudan faces. Women are not treated
equally and do not have the same opportunities to gain power, wealth, and
prestige as they are often taken advantage of by men. The social inequality of
race/ethnicity can also be considered to be a problem for the Sudanese people
considering how Mrs. Ley was considered as a dark-skinned outsider, her being
from a different part of Sudan and being darker, thus, causing her to be looked
upon and treated differently because of it. Sudan is divided into Sudan and
South Sudan, partially based on race and ethnicity as well as based on
religious divisions and an exploitative government. Sudan therefore has many
social inequalities that its people have to face on a daily basis whether it is
due to race, gender, religion, education, or poverty. The people of Sudan are
stratified on many different social levels, with women being the most
stratified on all levels. Thus, the social problems facing Sudan are not merely
personal troubles of the people within this particular country but are social
issues for everyone considering how many of these same issues exist in many
other countries around the world. Mobilization for action will need to be taken
in order to address and change the social inequalities faced by Sudan as well
as other countries.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/world/africa/for-south-sudan-woman-misery-on-both-sides-of-the-border.html?_r=2&ref=africa
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