Interesting article about "sworn virgins" who may "live as men"

[ohnoitsagruffalo]

www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/sworn-virgins-the-fraternity-women-who-earn-male-privileges-in-return-for-lifelong-celibacy-1.4649202?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Coronavirus+restrictions+likely+to+remain+until+October&utm_campaign=morning_briefing_digest&mode=amp

Thanks for posting, OP - really interesting article.

Notable that it's actually dying out as a tradition as gender roles have become less restrictive.

"Sworn Virgins..."

Fuck off, we're celibate!

Interesting, but depressing to live in such a society.
The obvious question, which wasn't answered, is what happens if they decide they'd like to have sex?

Interesting article thank you. The idea that they have to give up sex to earn the right to be a man is a weird one isn’t it, but shows that while being viewed as a sex object by men they definitely wouldn’t have been taken seriously.

@Jaysmith71

"Sworn Virgins..."

Fuck off, we're celibate!

Any minute now there'll be a day trip to Inverness.

Hmm. I've read about Sworn Virgins in Albania before, and "because they just felt more like men" was not mentioned. IIRC, predominantly it was because there were no males left in the family and this put all the remaining females in a bad position - only a male could conduct certain business, etc. In those circumstances one of the women would sacrifice her womanhood to provide security for the family as a whole.

I wonder if "because they just felt more like men" was introduced by the author of this piece in line with their bias, or if it was dropped from everything I had previously read (some years ago) by the authors of those pieces inline with their biases.

There used to be ' Consecrated Virgins' in Catholic tradition I think. What that involves I don't know though.

The "sworn virgins" in Serbia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia first came to wider attention in Europe after the Wall came down, and older customs began either to resurface to or get talked about more. Before then Communist ideology made it impolitic to talk openly about sex discrimination and gender roles and unwise to advertise adherence to older traditions.

@whereyouleftit I wondered if the author had added that bit too!

@monsignormirth yes, will they get in trouble if they do have sex?

I thought this bit was interesting where the author says that Duni was not fighting gender norms but instead submitting to them by declaring herself a man...and then the author claims that Duni is transphobic ...like is that not the definition of transgender...not fighting the gender stereotypes but instead embracing them and claiming you are the opposite sex if you identify more with those sex stereotypes..hope i make sense

"By declaring herself a man, Duni was not striking at conventional gender norms but submitting to them. She also shares the strongly transphobic and homophobic views that are prevalent in Albania. Men, everyone in her remote alpine hamlet of Lepushe believes, will always have more power and respect, so the best way for a woman to share their privilege is to join them, rather than trying to beat them."

Believing that men will always have more power and respect [than women] and adjusting your behaviour accordingly is misogyny, not transphobia or homophobia.