Women in Namibia

We have come to this beautiful country (especially for those of us that gravitate toward arid environments) and are glad to come to a very peaceful part of the African continent.  There is no fear of war or the kind of strife that is happening in so many parts of the world.  There is certainly crime here, encouraged by the great disparities between rich and poor.  Namibia has one of the highest Gini coefficients (a commonly used measure of inequality of income or wealth).  We've seen first hand the breadth of that disparity, and despite the positive experiences in Katutura, have come away with a deeper understanding the economic legacy of past apartheid policies. 

We've been learning about Namibian ecology, history, and politics; our most recent speakers have given us insights into the status of women - and it ain't pretty.  Although the Namibian constitution provides for gender equality, what happens in practice is far from equal.  There is a complexity here that we just don't face in the U.S.  Different areas have different tribes that speak different languages - not just dialects, but different languages.  They also have different customs (though all are patriarchal and women are traditionally submissive).  This has made it hard to formulate one national women's movement or create a national organization.  The national constitutional law theoretically trumps customary law (tribal law), but that is not what happens in practice in many cases - so a woman may not inherit when her husband dies, even though she should according to the national laws.  Local customary law is that it all goes back to her husband's family. 

The story we hear is that a lot needs to be done to bring down violence against women, increase the number of girls finishing high school, increase the number women with economic options so that they don't have to get married early, reduce teen pregnancy, and so on.  But these strong, articulate women who spoke to us show us that powerful, intelligent women are in the forefront of change.