Sworn Virgin free essay sample

This essay is about one of the third gender roles. â€Å"Sworn Virgins† While researching I came across very interesting sites that talked about these woman that became men in their society. These Albanian women were from the northern and southern parts of Balkans. This essay will talk about their lives living as a man, the process of it and the reasoning for their choice. Here are the sites I gathered my facts from: www. slate. The common reasons were; at her birth if the family has no male heir and knows they never will, at the death of the familys only male, or at her refusal to marry the man her family wish her to accept as a husband. Often when these women take on this role it will transform who they are instead of being a woman with no rights or powers. She will become a â€Å"Sworn Virgin† a man. We will write a custom essay sample on Sworn Virgin or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And with this status she will be granted all the rights of a man and also the responsibility of a male role as well. Such as being head of household and working. In the process of becoming a â€Å"Sworn Virgin† The Albanian woman will take a celibacy vow to remain chaste for life. In order to complete this transition she will cut off her hair, wear male clothing, and sometimes might even change her name. Traditionally she will do this in front of twelve witnesses. They also pledge to remain virgins and absolutely no sexual interaction of any kind. While doing this research I came across this NY Times article titled Albanian Custom Fades: Woman as Family Man where a woman who was a sworn virgin had been interviewed. When she was sworn in she had done it because there had been no male heir after her father passed away. So it was her duty to become a sworn virgin and live as a male, and even avenge her father’s death. She said that now in today’s world she would not make that same choice. Here is what she said verbatim She says she would not do it today, now that sexual equality and modernity have come even to Albania, with Internet dating and MTV invading after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Girls here do not want to be boys anymore. With only Ms. Keqi and some 40 others remaining, the sworn virgin is dying off.