Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad
University of Pennsylvania Center of African Studies
“Teaching the Human Experience: Lessons From Ethiopia”
In Defense of Female Educational Access
Examining a Changing Culture in Ethiopia
Developed by Michelle Alcaraz-Rogers
Rationale:
Traditionally the education of women in rural Ethiopia has been devalued and denied.
Although education is lawfully open to women, there still remain social implications that
point negatively on the education of women. Culturally women are married away from the
family or sent to work in mostly domestic fields to contribute to the family structure. This
more continues to dominate in many traditional and rural Ethiopian communities.
This lesson allows students to study the mores and folkways of Ethiopian society through the
reading of a children’s novel and articles that display the cultural norms and their proponents.
Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to
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Identify elements of a story.
Identify cultural mores and folkways in Ethiopia
Consider the traditional role gender plays in decisions made by girls and boys in
different parts of the world.
Compare and contrast their culture and/or other cultures with that of the Ethiopian
cultures.
Grade Levels:
9-12
Disciplines Encompassed:
Literature, History, Gender Studies, Sociology
Materials:
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
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The Fig Tree by Genet Araya.
“Alice Who Sees Mice.” From The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
Recording of The Fig Tree read in Amharic.
Internet access for research.
Warm –Up
Students should have an understanding of the following terms:
Mores
Folkways
Culture
Rural
Urban
Tradition
Procedures:

The class will read Sandra Cisneros’ “Alice Who Sees Mice” and journal about
what is going on in the story using the following guided questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.


Students will listen to the reading of The Fig Tree in Amharic while looking at the
pictures provided.
They will be asked to consider the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.



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What is the tone of this story?
What type of society does this story depict?
Identify the probable conflict in the story.
What theme do you think carries this story?
How do different characters deal with the conflict in the story?
What is the tone of this story?
What type of society does this story depict?
Identify the probable conflict in the story.
What theme do you think carries this story?
How do different characters deal with the conflict in the story?
After answering the questions from listening to the story, we will discuss the
elements of a story in defense of our predictions from the Amharic reading.
We will then read the story using the English translation while remaining aware of
the presented questions.
After the reading we will pull out ideas that may contribute to the understanding of
cultural mores and folkways in Ethiopia in regards to gender roles.
Students will then be guided to read selected sections of an article on the culture of
Ethiopia. They will find and track evidence about the society from the predictions
they made and list them on the provided chart. The article is found on
http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ethiopia.html (Sections pasted to the end of
this document for easy access). The focus should be on the following researched
sections: “Gender Roles and Statuses;” “Marriage, Family and Kinship;”
Socialization.”
In order to contextualize some of the collected information and discussion, the
class should read chapter six of Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book Half
the Sky, which deals primarily with the consequences of child parenthood.

Students will use the information collected from the readings and the other
resources about why people may be unwavering in light of a changing culture.

They will also use these resources to compare and contrast the advantages and
disadvantages of educating girls.
Culminating Activity Options:
1. Students can research education of women in other cultures to compare and contrast
the traditions in relations to educational equity and access.
2. The class can hold a formal debate for and against changing cultural mores and
folkways.
3. Students can research organizations working to
Works Cited
Araya, Genet. The Fig Tree. Rehobot: Ethiopia, 2007.
Cisneros, Sandra. “Alice Who Sees Mice.” The House on Mango Street. New York:
Vintage, 1984. 31-32.
Kristof, Nicholas D. and Sheryl WuDunn. “Maternal Mortality—One Woman a Minute.”
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New
York: Knopf, 2009. 93-102.
Works Consulted
The World Bank. Education in Ethiopia: Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable
Progress. Washington: World Bank, 2005.
Macionis, John J. Society the Basics. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2007.
Poluha, Eve, ed. The World of Girls and Boys in Rural and Urban Ethiopia. Ethiopia:
Forum for Social Studies, 2007.
Additional Resources:
“Escaping Marriage for School” http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/reallives_384.html
“Fighting Early Marriage to Increase Girls Education”
http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/reallives_384.html
“Samia Sadik: An Inspiration For Girls’ Education”
http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/reallives_384.html
Cultural Predictions
from
The Fig Tree
Support for
Predictions
from the Text
Support for
Predictions
from the Article
Conclusions
GENDER ROLES AND STATUSES
Division of Labor by Gender. Traditionally, labor has been divided by gender, with
authority given to the senior male in a household. Men are responsible for plowing,
harvesting, the trading of goods, the slaughtering of animals, herding, the building of
houses, and the cutting of wood. Women are responsible for the domestic sphere and help
the men with some activities on the farm. Women are in charge of cooking, brewing beer,
cutting hops, buying and selling spices, making butter, collecting and carrying wood, and
carrying water.
The gender division in urban areas is less pronounced than it is in the countryside. Many
women work outside of the home, and there tends to be a greater awareness of gender
inequality. Women in urban areas are still responsible, with or without a career, for the
domestic space. Employment at a baseline level is fairly equivalent, but men tend to be
promoted much faster and more often.
The Relative Status of Women and Men. Gender inequality is still prevalent. Men often
spend their free time socializing outside the home, while women take care of the
household. If a man participates in domestic activities such as cooking and child rearing,
he may become a social outcast.
The education of boys is stressed more than that of girls, who are supposed to help with
household work. Girls are restricted from leaving the home and engaging in social
activities with friends much more than boys are.
MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND KINSHIP
Marriage. Traditional marriage customs vary by ethnic group, although many customs
are transethnic. Arranged marriages are the norm, although this practice is becoming
much less common, especially in urban areas. The presentation of a dowry from the
male's family to the female's family is common. The amount is not fixed and varies with
the wealth of the families. The dowry may include livestock, money, or other socially
valued items.
The proposal usually involves elders, who travel from the groom's house to the parents of
the bride to ask for the marriage. The elders are traditionally the individuals who decide
when and where the ceremony takes place. Both the bride's and groom's families prepare
food and drink for the ceremony by brewing wine and beer and cooking food. A great
deal of food is prepared for the occasion, especially meat dishes.
Christians often wed in Orthodox churches, and a variety of wedding types exist. In the
takelil type, the bride and groom participate in a special ceremony and agree never to
divorce. This type of commitment has become rare in recent years. Wedding garb in the
cities is very western: suits and tuxedos for the men and a white wedding gown for the
bride.
Domestic Unit. The basic family structure is much larger than the typical Western
nuclear unit. The oldest male is usually the head of the household and is in charge of
decision making. Men, usually having the primary income, control the family
economically and distribute money. Women are in charge of domestic life and have
significantly more contact with the children. The father is seen as an authority figure.
Children are socially required to care for their parents, and so there are often three to four
generations in a household. With the advent of urban living, however, this pattern is
changing, and children often live far from their families and have a much harder time
supporting them. Urbanites have a responsibility to send money to their families in rural
areas and often try their best to relocate their families to the cities.
Inheritance. Inheritance laws follow a fairly regular pattern. Before an elder passes away
he or she orally states his or her wishes for the disposal of possessions. Children and
living spouses are typically
An Ethiopian woman looking at fabric in Fasher.
the inheritors, but if an individual dies without a will, property is allotted by the court
system to the closest living relatives and friends. Land, although not officially owned by
individuals, is inheritable. Men are more privileged then females and usually receive the
most prized properties and equipment, while women tend to inherit items associated with
the domestic sphere.
Kin Groups. Descent is traced through both the mother's and father's families, but the
male line is more valued than the female. It is customary for a child to take the father's
first name as his or her last name. In rural areas, villages are often composed of kin
groups that offer support during difficult times. The kin group in which one participates
tends to be in the male line. Elders are respected, especially men, and are regarded as the
source of a lineage. In general, an elder or groups of elders are responsible for settling
disputes within a kin group or clan.
SOCIALIZATION
Infant Care. Children are raised by the extended family and community. It is the primary
duty of the mother to care for the children as part of her domestic duties. If the mother is
not available, the
Colorfully robed deacons at the Timkat Festival in Lalibela.
responsibility falls to the older female children as well as the grandmothers.
In urban society, where both parents often work, babysitters are employed and the father
takes a more active role in child care. If a child is born out of wedlock, whoever the
women claims is the father is required by law to support the child economically. If
parents get divorced, a child five years old or older is asked with whom he or she wants
to live.
Child Rearing and Education. During early childhood, children have the greatest
exposure to their mothers and female relatives. At around the age of five, especially in
urban areas, children start attending school if their families can afford the fees. In rural
areas, schools are few and children do farm work. This means a very low percentage of
rural youth attend school. The government is trying to alleviate this problem by building
accessible schools in rural areas.
The patriarchal structure of society is reflected in the stress on education for boys over
girls. Women face discrimination problems as well as physical abuse in school. Also, the
belief still exists that females are less competent then males and that education is wasted
on them.
Higher Education. Children who do well in elementary school go on to secondary
school. It is felt that missionary schools are superior to government schools. Fees are
required for missionary schools, although they are reduced considerably for religious
adherents.
University is free, but admission is extremely competitive. Every secondary student takes
a standardized examination to get into college. The acceptance rate is approximately 20
percent of all the individuals who take the tests. There is a quota for the various
departments, and only a certain number of individuals are enrolled in their desired
majors. The criterion is the grades of first-year students; those with the highest marks get
the first choice. In 1999, enrollment at Addis Ababa University was approximately
21,000 students.
http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ethiopia.html