Brussels, 22.11.2015 - A year-long research conducted by a team of anthropologists, lawyers and a filmmaker sheds new light into the complexity of gender equality among societies in 10 pacific islands such as Fiji, Solomon, federated state of Micronesia and Samoa. The presentation was held on November 20 at the European Commission.
The topic of human rights and gender equality is an important topic within the European framework and is funded to obtain equality on a global scale. Gender inequality seems to be inevitable in societies bound by the roles in which each gender is expected to behave. This puts women in a state of gender objectification and limits their chances of a future beyond that. To stress the current situation of gender inequality, the research showed that in one of the villages interviewed, 9 out of 12 women is or has been beaten by their husband. 8 out of those 9 women justify their husband’s action and felt it is what they deserved.
Cultural values in the researched societies complicate the discussion for gender equality. Although these points cite inequality that one would conclude from an uncivil society; this is not the case. Respect, mutuality, social harmony and kindness are values well established in these regions. There is a weak understanding of gender and the fluency of its roles, which is the main cause of the inequalities established. A married woman’s status is defined by that of her husband.
Marriage between a man and a woman does not mean a union between two people, but a union of families. Divorce is almost never an option, because of the deep complexity of shared goods and family ties. The man represents the successor of the house and will bear the pressure of honour on his shoulders. In return, the woman serves her husband to make him succeed at work. These gender roles are so defined in their culture that it is difficult to take on new insights about the role that each gender can play. It is used to exclude females from male spaces, typically highly important jobs such as political roles. For example, in Samoa, barely any woman is part of the political system, even when they are approximately equally educated. Most Catholic churches in Samoa uphold gender inequality.
With almost 98 % of the Samoan citizen being Christian, churches in Samoa hold a lot of power. The churches are very conservative and empower men to take up their roles as chief of the household. Religion is something very prominent on the Pacific islands, therefore those that lament it have a high status in society. Human rights and women’s right are a form of individualism that does not fit the family-orientated nor religious society. Eastern Asian countries often have a ‘group-orientated’ state of mind, favouring unity over individualism, contradicting the Western way of thinking. Violence is a culturally accepted method of maintaining household hierarchies of status and power. Maintaining household hierarchies works through favours and family connections. The age hierarchy that most of the pacific regions uphold is used to practically force family members and younger aged villagers to take favours from others. Doing a favour to someone else means it should be returned somewhere in the future, which elders use to uphold their status and power. An example in Micronesia showcases a husband loaning out his wife’s body to teen boys as a favour for them to become men. This favour can be used to hold a certain power over them on a later age, when they have a family and more power themselves. Due to the values of different cultures, gender inequality is undoubtedly an issue that cannot be solved overnight.
The European Commission funded the project to better understand the cultural values and wishes to open dialogues about human rights and gender equality in a way that supports the culture differences between the pacific islands and Europe. Only with a better understanding of human rights and the benefits that can be gained from it , the rights of women in these places will be able to improve.
The topic of human rights and gender equality is an important topic within the European framework and is funded to obtain equality on a global scale. Gender inequality seems to be inevitable in societies bound by the roles in which each gender is expected to behave. This puts women in a state of gender objectification and limits their chances of a future beyond that. To stress the current situation of gender inequality, the research showed that in one of the villages interviewed, 9 out of 12 women is or has been beaten by their husband. 8 out of those 9 women justify their husband’s action and felt it is what they deserved.
Cultural values in the researched societies complicate the discussion for gender equality. Although these points cite inequality that one would conclude from an uncivil society; this is not the case. Respect, mutuality, social harmony and kindness are values well established in these regions. There is a weak understanding of gender and the fluency of its roles, which is the main cause of the inequalities established. A married woman’s status is defined by that of her husband.
Marriage between a man and a woman does not mean a union between two people, but a union of families. Divorce is almost never an option, because of the deep complexity of shared goods and family ties. The man represents the successor of the house and will bear the pressure of honour on his shoulders. In return, the woman serves her husband to make him succeed at work. These gender roles are so defined in their culture that it is difficult to take on new insights about the role that each gender can play. It is used to exclude females from male spaces, typically highly important jobs such as political roles. For example, in Samoa, barely any woman is part of the political system, even when they are approximately equally educated. Most Catholic churches in Samoa uphold gender inequality.
With almost 98 % of the Samoan citizen being Christian, churches in Samoa hold a lot of power. The churches are very conservative and empower men to take up their roles as chief of the household. Religion is something very prominent on the Pacific islands, therefore those that lament it have a high status in society. Human rights and women’s right are a form of individualism that does not fit the family-orientated nor religious society. Eastern Asian countries often have a ‘group-orientated’ state of mind, favouring unity over individualism, contradicting the Western way of thinking. Violence is a culturally accepted method of maintaining household hierarchies of status and power. Maintaining household hierarchies works through favours and family connections. The age hierarchy that most of the pacific regions uphold is used to practically force family members and younger aged villagers to take favours from others. Doing a favour to someone else means it should be returned somewhere in the future, which elders use to uphold their status and power. An example in Micronesia showcases a husband loaning out his wife’s body to teen boys as a favour for them to become men. This favour can be used to hold a certain power over them on a later age, when they have a family and more power themselves. Due to the values of different cultures, gender inequality is undoubtedly an issue that cannot be solved overnight.
The European Commission funded the project to better understand the cultural values and wishes to open dialogues about human rights and gender equality in a way that supports the culture differences between the pacific islands and Europe. Only with a better understanding of human rights and the benefits that can be gained from it , the rights of women in these places will be able to improve.
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