Women+(Zaina)

Women From Senegal Zaina



Education: The Senegal constitution guarantees equality between men and women, but recently, higher education has been largely reserved for men. As a result, only 37% of women can read. Girls most likely have the opportunity to go to primary school, but do not have the option to continue with their education because they are expected to take care of the household. Here is a video of girls in Senegal playing at recess: ([] Schoolyard Games&cit_date_get=2006-12-01)

Responsibilities: Women in the villages have the responsibility of taking care of the household. They plow the land, plant, and grow the family's crops. Women take the crops, along with other household products, to the local market to buy, sell, and trade. Many urban women work in factories. In the factories, their income is low because they are paid by the piecework method. The piecework method is when you are paid based on productivity and are not provided with certain benefits such as vacation time, insurance, or sick pay. However, women who have obtained a higher education have made their way into working civil service jobs. Here is a picture of a local market: Women are also responsible for cooking. Those who live in rural areas typically cook traditional meals and those who live in the city cook traditional food and French food. When it's time to eat, the different genders and age groups eat separately. Here is a woman cooking a traditional meal: (http://online.culturegrams.com/multimedia/popup.php?nameVid=Senegal_Cooking_a_Meal&titleVid=Cooking%20a%20Meal&cit_date_get=2006-12-01)

Family: Girls in Senegal are considered women when they start to menstruate. In rural areas, women marry very young. Some families have chosen their daughter's spouse in an arranged marriage. Half of all families are polygamous. The practice of polygamy is when a husband has two or more wives. A man can marry up to four wives, but only if he gets approval from his current wives. However, he must share his time and money equally between all of the households. Because of this, a man usually has two wives. Pregnancy is not discussed publicly in the rural areas of Senegal. Women continue with their daily routines until they go into labor. The babies are born in the mother's home, assisted by a midwife. In urban areas, babies are born in hospitals.

Appearance: A woman's appearance is very important in Senegal. They bathe more than once a day and iron their clothes very neatly. Most women don't wear pants or shorts; revealing clothes are frowned upon. A traditional outfit includes a long wraparound skirt, called a pagne. Some of these skirts have multiple layers. Over that, they wear a long robe. Usually, they wear a matching head wrap too. Muslim women who wear a white head scarf are treated very respectfully. The white head scarf symbolizes that they have made the pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Here is a traditional woman's outfit:

** Works Cited Esherick, Joan. //Women in the African World//. Broomall: Mason Crest, 2005. Print. (C) “The Republic of Senegal.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. . (B) “Republic of Senegal Dating and Marriage.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. . (A) “Republic of Senegal Diet.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. . (I) “Republic of Senegal Eating.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. . (J) “The Republic of Senegal Life Cycle.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. . (E) “Republic of Senegal Personal Appearence.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. . (D) “Republic of Senegal Religion.” //CultureGrams World Edition//. ProQuest, 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. . (H) Streissguth, Tom. //Senegal in Pictures//. N.p.: Lerner Publishinhg Group, 2009. Print. (F) 
 * Bibliography: