Bedouin Gender Differentiation
The society known as the Awlad’ Ali is said to be egalitarian with respect to the fact that each group in the hierarchy has the chance to assert their personal rights. However, there are two distinct groups within the Awlad’ Ali society that contradict this idea and reassert the proposition that there is indeed a defined structure that separates groups, and gives some groups power over others – namely, the power of men over women. Men and women of the Awlad’ Ali have more differences in their lifestyles than they do similarities. Two specific kinds of differences between the two gender groups can be labelled under the headings of ‘Sexuality’ and ‘Religion’. Several differences between the genders fall into these categories. However, the differences do not stop there. There are also miscellaneous practices and subjects that do not fall under either heading and are therefore located in their own general category.Sexuality is a tricky subject with the Awlad’ Ali due to the complexity of the social requirements associated with the topic. Men are said to show strength and adhere to the Awlad’ Ali honour code by abstaining from showing sexual interest in a member of the opposite sex. However, the requirement for
men with regards to sexuality is not very strong. Men are given much leeway with their behaviour and it is generally expected that a man is to pursue a woman to request marriage, in an effort to procreate and give the community much-loved children. Women, on the other hand, are required to put in extra effort. It is said that they are expected to attempt to ‘be like men’, however what they are instead required to do is deny their femininity and attempt to defer any claims to their sexuality. This is considered a sign of modesty and is the socially acceptable behaviour for a woman in the Awlad’ Ali culture. So while men are allowed to express interest, through appropriate channels, women – even after marriage – are prohibited from showing any sign of interest in the opposite sex and are prohibited from acknowledging their own sexuality in any way that would draw attention to themselves. This difference is not seen as detrimental to the society in which they live, but instead complimentary – each balances the other out, as is the case in most societies, including those in the Western world. Religion is another defining factor of the differences between the genders. Men are permitted to pray much more than women and have fewer restrictions – the main being, for men, that they are not allowed to pray after sexual intercourse. There is one main reason for the different restrictions between the two. Men are considered ‘pure’ in terms of religious purity, whereas women are often considered unclean. This state of the absence of cleanliness is not always so and is often only associated with childbirth, pregnancy and menstruation. If a woman bleeds (which is the case in all three instances), they are not permitted
Some topics in this essay:
Awlad’ Ali,
awlad’ ali,
ali society,
awlad’ ali society,
women considered,
differences women,
,
women awlad’ ali,
required adhere,
required extra,
differences genders,
woman bleeds,
modesty women,
sexual modesty,
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Approximate Word count = 1170
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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