From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Eritreans/Yohannes Gebresellasie
Traditionally, there was a deeply rooted patriarchal culture in Eritrea. For women, the family was to be placed first. They were instructed in how to fulfil their roles as wives, mothers, and domestic workers within the family, and they were given little or no opportunity to make independent decisions. Paternalistic traditions determined a woman’s future, her marriage, and her inheritance. Men did not admit that women could be equal. As a result, many Eritrean women evolved a dual personality – the outer person who knew what to say and how to act in dealing with the outside world, and the inner one who had opinions that could not be expressed and dreams hidden deep inside. But the role of women has been changing, both in the homeland and in immigrant communities. Today, Eritrean women at home and around the world, including Canada, are beginning to establish independent grassroots organizations whose aim is to bring about a new identity and a positive future for Eritrean women.
Organizations like the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) have been attempting to address the concerns of women. Its objectives are to raise the educational and professional level of women; to increase women’s political consciousness; to agitate for an increased role for women in decision making and policy formulation; and to introduce changes in the economic sector in order to improve women’s social welfare and development by setting up childcare facilities and expanding primary healthcare facilities.
Eritrean women gained significant status and public recognition during the liberation struggle in Eritrea. By 1979, women represented 30 percent of the members of the EPLF and 13 percent of the fighting force, and, on the whole, did the same jobs as men. At present, four government ministries in Eritrea are headed by women. Although much more needs to be done with regard to Eritrean women’s roles and activities in Canada, most women in the Eritrean community seem to be aware of the possibility of rejecting or expanding their traditional roles. It is not yet clear whether Eritrean-Canadian men who are strongly traditional can accept such changes or will find it necessary to try to maintain the status quo. A power struggle between men who are determined to retain the traditional patriarchal structure of Eritrean society and women who are attempting to gain more independence will lead to major problems, such as family conflicts and divorce.
