It's a little more than two weeks until I leave Dushanbe for the heavier heat of the New York/Maryland. These eye-opening and dusty five-ish weeks have led to more than just an improvement in my Persian language skills: at the same time that I find myself challenged by my classroom education, the great majority of my learning has occurred outside of it. Be it learning the Tajik language, figuring out what foods to not eat, finding quiet reading spots, etc. One of the most interesting cultural observations I've witnessed is the role of women in Tajik society.
Let me start with this: these are observations, not professional sociological studies substantiated by data or interviews. I am calling it as I see it, but please do not take this post as the end-all-and-be-all of women's status in Tajikistan. Moreover I am not passing judgement; all cultures are unique and to claim one's supremacy over another is at the heart of prejudice, cultural conflict, and the root of many of today's international problems.
Before I arrived in Tajikistan, of the few people who knew what and where it was, and those who didn't, would comment how I was heading to a backwards land where, among other prejudices, women are objectified and vieled. Such assumption usually trigger images of the Taliban or Hamas, closing girls schools and exacting harsh fines--not always financial--for immodesty. This is not the case in Tajikistan.
In this small country many women do where veils and scarves, for both religious and fashion-related reasons. Many wear the kurta, a snuggie like dress (pictured below) while many dress in jeans and t-shirts; a trend, I've noticed, that is occurring all over--Morocco, India, Israel, Russia, Tajikistan, and other countries have had much of their traditional dress replaced by Gucci or other Western fashions.
Women in Tajik society also have options. In this, the poorest of the former Soviet satellites, all who are able to, usually work. It is out of necessity that women work; in the bazaars or shops, government offices or cell phone stores.
On the otherhand a great many women also beg, sometimes with crying children or sleeping infants held close. Of most of the beggars and homeless I've seen, most have been women.
In the Tajik home it is thru the labors of the women--in my homestay, namely my mother, sister, sister-in-law, etc.--that a home functions. In my neighborhood this is the norm; in other areas it may be different. My neighborhood is fairly conservative and usually, when I'm leaving for or returning from class, women are sweeping floors, cooking food, chasing children--frequently with the help of their daughters. In my family, my father and five brothers work incredibly long hours and usually return home late at night, if at all. There to feed them and help them are the women. I feel strongly asserting the following: the family unit in Tajikistan is cohesive, supportive, and strong (of course, not all families are such but in my experience and that of my classmates it is so).
What makes Tajikistan like the US is that opportunity exists, and women are seizing the opportunity (perhaps a little slowly). A few women--traditional, women--have expressed to me that women belong at home, that a good wife is silent and cooks well. My young homestay niece (pictured previously with a kitten in hand) is given dolls and at her young age--she's about one year old--rocks and lulls them.
But if you go out into the streets of Dushanbe at night you will see young men and women together, holding hands, drinkind, going to the bars or clubs. In the cool nights I think people come out dressed a little lighter and more Western.
As Persian studies major my experience and studies of Persian culture go beyond Iran, as the Persian world includes Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and other countries. In my Journalism class last semester I posted about Iranian Women, I discussed, briefly, the lives and challenges of Iranian women. In Tajikistan many of the same challenges exist but the societal standards are different. More importantly the way Tajik women respond to those standards differs to the way Iranian or American or Japanese or Italian women would react. At the same time Tajiki culture is bombarded with Russian music videos and Armani pants, the people retain a unique and exclusive approach to living. Like all cultures there exist special and excusive circumstances--influences and expectations--for women; in Tajikistan their is opportunity but also tradition.
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