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O. Box (PF) 11 47 | D-21225 Bendestorf | Germany | Tel/Fax
+49 (0) 4183 6936 |
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administration.
In 1953 women secured the right to vote, and with this
women became ministers and occupied other leading positions.
However, after the coup d´etat in 1989, the situation
for women changed to the worst and most women’s organisations
were prohibited. Most women in leading positions lost their
jobs. Like most Muslim countries, Sudan underwent a transition
in which it began to develop its own Muslim set of values.
Even though educated women might have
a wider range of professional choices their autonomy is still limited
by traditional restrictions and the authority of their husband. The
current definition of an ideal woman’s role is that of the
family caretaker who has to uphold the honour of the family. The
impact of the war on the men in the Sudan has brought with it some
inevitable changes for women. The scope of responsibility for women
living in the North of Sudan has increased, even for less educated
women; more women are now heading households and are the sole breadwinners
of their family. The war has displaced people who have lost their
traditional livelihoods, for example cultivating the land. Many displaced
rural women are now working as housemaids or market traders. The
role of women from the predominately Muslim north of the Sudan differs
by far from the role of women from the south of the Sudan. Even though
south Sudanese women have by far less power than the men, they do
maintain a degree of independance within their society. With that
said, the war has increased the gender inequalities between men and
women throughout the country, not only by eroding the status of women
but also undermining their traditional participation in decision
making.
To date almost 86% of women older than 15 years are illiterate. More
than 80% of displaced people due to civil war in the southern regions
of Sudan, and in Darfur are women and children.
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