Gender and Livelihoods in Wartimes

Unless gender inequality is specifically addressed, communities living with conflict and gender disparities will continue to suffer inequalities even in subsequent periods of peace.

One of the primary observations of this research is that the women of Nuba Mountains are caught between their traditional gender roles, which they are expected to perform despite the misery and hardship of the conflict, and the new set of responsibilities deriving from living in conflict. Some of these are viewed as uniquely feminine, including carrying out increased levels of “care work”. In addition, women may be forced to take on traditionally male roles in agriculture and other economic activities since their male counterparts are unable to fulfil their traditional roles in sustaining families because of military obligations, injury, lack of opportunity, or other reasons. that is should be killed on their arrival so they can eat well. Then they return to their work on the front. 12

Women interviewed for the research commented frequently that they are meant to navigate the terror of war, maintain a home, find a way to feed children, and to do so while maintaining overwhelmingly traditional and often disempowered roles, both in the SPLM/ A-N structure as well as in broader Nuba culture. As one woman summed it up, “We do the work and we have the knowledge of the home, but nothing is our say in the end. Even the young wives are in bondage under this old system that we use.” 13

Unfortunately, the list of “added responsibilities” does not typically lead to increased political participation or decision-making power, nor is it typically remunerated. While there is an expectation that the roles of men on the front lines will be celebrated, the struggles of women to maintain the home are not recognised in the same way. As one woman summed it up:

Shifting Gender Roles

During times of peace in traditional Nuba culture, women took care of children and handled domestic work tasks such as food preparation, contributing to plot farming, with children contributing to collecting firewood and grazing cattle. Traditional roles, however, have shifted and “care work” has become more difficult in a context of scarcity. As one example, one woman reflected on access to water: