Possible repercussions of gender imbalances

[Lamagoodle]

Happy anniversary to all the women of Somalinet ; it is the 8th of March

A decade or so ago, the number of Somali students one could spot on university campuses in mainland Europe were not that many. I am assuming that the picture was the same in North America, Australia and the UK.

Today, the picture is different. Quite different indeed. We have more Somali students on campuses. It is not uncommon to see Somalis even at the graduate level. Many of these were born in the diaspora and could in theory compete with their peers on the labour market because unlike the few of us decades ago, they do not speak broken Dutch, Swedish, English, Danish, or Norwegian.

But, there is a worrying trend which may have deep ramifications. There is a gender gap; more women than men are enrolled – at least based on my observation and from discussions, I had with my own relatives- on this issue.

On the job market, there is a similar observable phenomenon albeit anecdotally : More Somali women than men are employed in the white collar sector. Men are falling behind. Poor parenting, lack of role models, culture of fadhi-ku-dirirism, single mother households (yes, this is a contributing factor even for non-somalis) and drugs (e.g. qaad) are in my opinion the underlying primary causes.

Somali marriages are uneven; age gaps exist because of our history. In the pre-diaspora days, it was the man who called the shots. The Somali man was unchallenged from birth. Growing up, the lass were expected to conform to a set of conventional wisdoms; Get a basic education (primary schooling) but be prepared to fulfil the main societal expectation; marriage. The sublime message – mainly from other women- was one of preparedness for the big day. The day you will be married off to an able man (read economic power) who will financially take care of you. A few grams of gold, a descent house and more importantly her incompetence to become employable (and enterprising) did the trick of keeping our womenfolk in unhappy marriages.

Polygamy was tolerated because without education and economic might, the woman risked a life of penury.

Education is crucial to emancipation. The education of our girls is a great thing. They will certainly contribute to the wellbeing of their families and in the extension to all Somalis. In fact, this has been the case since the disintegration of our nation; it is through the efforts of our women in the diaspora that many Somalis in Somalia are fed. Similarly, many homes are built and basic welfare provisions are provided by women than men to folks back home.

The problem is that most of our educated and professional sisters are still under the radar of our institutions; they are expected to marry a Somali and to marry young. While at work or in universities they discuss careers and complex mechanisms of human development, at home the discussions centre on expectations: Pressure to marry young and a Somali is a companion to every educated career woman.

Indeed, there are Somali men who are educated and who have white collar careers. But, these are few. Selection means that the educated Somali man has a large pool to choose (back home) but our educated sisters in the diaspora has a small one

A few months ago, I read a study on the African American women. The study found that the proportion of US-born black women aged 30-44 who were married plunged from 62% to 33%. In addition, the study found that black women tend to stay in school longer than black men and have a lesser pool to choose from.

In the long run, the skewed gender ratio on education and white collar jobs, will result in family problems. Our educated sisters will face pressure to marry losers and ultimately will be caught in a vicious circle conditioned by our institutions.

[grandpakhalif]

It doesn't matter, the Somali male will continue marrying from a large spring of Xalimos competing for what little male attention is available to them

[hargaysaay]

It doesn't matter, the Somali male will continue marrying from a large spring of Xalimos competing for what little male attention is available to them

[Lamagoodle]

It doesn't matter, the Somali male will continue marrying from a large spring of Xalimos competing for what little male attention is available to them

True GrandP. But, what about sisters? And if our somali men (losers) marry from a pool of uneducated woman, chances are that our people and nation will not develop. We need educated and proffessional women for the progress of our nation and people.

[jalaaludin5]

Education is crucial to emancipation. The education of our girls is a great thing. They will certainly contribute to the wellbeing of their families and in the extension to all Somalis. In fact, this has been the case since the disintegration of our nation; it is through the efforts of our women in the diaspora that many Somalis in Somalia are fed. Similarly, many homes
are built and basic welfare provisions are provided by women than men to folks back home.

This is the first topic you made that i agree with.

Women given the righ opportunity will always outshine the men. But for every thing gained something is lost so what are the downside to having too many educated and profesional sisters? how would all that education impact on a women's future, in terms having family and raising children? Especialy those in the diaspora.

[Lamagoodle]

Jalaaludiin,
At least we agree on something.

[grandpakhalif]

It doesn't matter, the Somali male will continue marrying from a large spring of Xalimos competing for what little male attention is available to them

True GrandP. But, what about sisters? And if our somali men (losers) marry from a pool of uneducated woman, chances are that our people and nation will not develop. We need educated and proffessional women for the progress of our nation and people.

You don't need a degree to raise an excellent household. As long as the couples are compatible the education gap would subside, plus it's 2014, these ladies all want to support their household financiacially and if a truck driver/taxi driver gains such assistance it would not only benefit him but the whole family.

[jalaaludin5]

So how about answering my question?

Its all perfectly clear what benefits educated sisters bring to the table but what could be the downside to that?

[original dervish]

In my experience (University of London), there are more males enrolled.
However, there are far more males in jail than in higher education.

[Lamagoodle]

It doesn't matter, the Somali male will continue marrying from a large spring of Xalimos competing for what little male attention is available to them

True GrandP. But, what about sisters? And if our somali men (losers) marry from a pool of uneducated woman, chances are that our people and nation will not develop. We need educated and proffessional women for the progress of our nation and people.

You don't need a degree to raise an excellent household. As long as the couples are compatible the education gap would subside, plus it's 2014, these ladies all want to support their household financiacially and if a truck driver/taxi driver gains such assistance it would not only benefit him but the whole family.

That could be the case; but in the long run educated white collar somali women will opt to stay single or marry a non-somali. That is unacceptable to many somalis.

[Lamagoodle]

So how about answering my question?

Its all perfectly clear what benefits educated sisters bring to the table but what could be the downside to that?

There is no downside. They will have the opportunity to select a non-somali man or stay unmarried; are you ok with that? I am

[Lamagoodle]

In my experience (University of London), there are more males enrolled.
However, there are far more males in jail than in higher education.

In Engineering and other natural sciences, men are in majority; this is true for every ethnic group. But, in other fields, medicine, social sciences and humanities, more somali women than men are enrolled.

[jalaaludin5]

So how about answering my question?

Its all perfectly clear what benefits educated sisters bring to the table but what could be the downside to that?

There is no downside. They will have the opportunity to select a non-somali man or stay unmarried; are you ok with that? I am

And there in lies the rub.

I guess our agreement didn't last.

back to square one.

[original dervish]

Yes...that's true.....but still I can only go on my own experiences.

Whatever the imbalance....there is a crisis in the education of Somali children (UK).
Far too many are failing to achieve the minimum standards.
What is it in Somali homes that fails to provide an environment conducive to academic success?

[Lamagoodle]

Jalaludiin,
What is our disagreement?

Yes...that's true.....but still I can only go on my own experiences.

Whatever the imbalance....there is a crisis in the education of Somali children (UK).
Far too many are failing to achieve the minimum standards.
What is it in Somali homes that fails to provide an environment conducive to academic success?

True, OD. Many somali parents do not have academic degrees or as many call it " learning environment" but that should affect both boys and girls.Girls are doing well while boys are not ; this is even true at the secondary/primary levels. Historically, somalis were keen on giving their kids education. There is a breakdown; today, the mom is busy chatting, talking on the phone, internet; the dad is busy talking political nonsense in fadhi-ku-dirir. The children are confined to their rooms with a TV or a game, as if the TV/PC is a parent.