We’ve all heard about how women in many parts of the world are still marginalized and considered second-class citizens; we even continue to struggle with gender equality in the United States. However, before moving to a developing country, I never really understood what it meant to be a woman in such a culture.

Here in Uganda, the men are definitely the decision-makers, the ones with the power. While urban areas are becoming more gender-equal than before, most people still consider women and men to hold very distinctive gender roles, with the household work left to the women but the household decisions and prestige being given to the men. Women are seen as weak, yet they are the ones doing most of the manual labor for the home, such as fetching water (jerry cans are heavy!) and firewood. The women care for the children, but if the couple ever separates, the children generally belong to the father (who never actually cares for them – he either hires someone or already has another wife). Here, there is no such thing as rape within marriage, legally or culturally. Men pay a bride price (often paid in cows or other in-kind payments), which means the man has a huge amount of leverage over his wife.  She belongs to him, and has no right to refuse something like sex.  While becoming less common, “marriage by abduction” does happen, in which a man kidnaps a girl who has refused to marry him and rapes her. The girl’s ‘purity’ is then ruined, and out of shame, she accepts to stay as his wife – she usually feels she has no choice, as many families and communities would disown her at this point, and few other men would want her. If a woman wants to use a condom with her partner or go for HIV testing, she is accused of sleeping around (even though it is commonplace for men to have extramarital affairs, thus putting women at risk for HIV infection from their own husbands. 42% of all new HIV infections in Uganda are intramarital).

As a female Peace Corps Volunteer, my struggle is mainly from issues of harassment. Many Ugandan women (unfortunately) have become used to sexual harassment or even assault, so consider it a normal part of life. For myself and my fellow female PCVs, however, harassment is probably one of the biggest issues we face. It can be everything from cat calls (“Hello baby!”, “I love you!”, “My size!”) and blatant inquiries for sex to sexual assault. I have never been assaulted, but several of my friends have. The emotional effects have serious consequences for us as volunteers – some are afraid to leave their houses for fear of unwanted attention or worse. I find that I avoid most Ugandan men, which is something I wish I didn’t resort to because of the potential for positive, professional relationships. Unfortunately, I’ve heard too many stories of female PCVs thinking that they have great friendships and working relationships with co-workers, only to later be propositioned for sex. I have faced very few issues in my small village – everyone knows me and respects/looks out for me. The main challenges occur when I go to bigger cities.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I’m trying to improve the lives of the girls and women around me. I’m going to start teaching life skills (such as setting life goals, communication skills, decision-making, healthy behaviors, etc.) to girls in my community soon. As a health volunteer, I’m promoting family planning options, such as condoms or birth control, to try to curb the high fertility rate of about 7 children per woman, but I believe that the only way to truly reduce family size is to empower women and give them other options in life besides having lots of children. Make sure they get a good education and are able to make their own life decisions, allowing them to pursue a career or envision a different path for themselves, and then they will probably choose to have fewer children. This opinion was solidified after reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and WuDunn – highly recommended book. Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda have started an annual program called Camp GLOW – Girls Leading Our World – which is a week of empowering activities for young girls which I hope to be really involved with at the end of 2011; I can even nominate girls from my village to attend. Of course, to empower women, you must involve men and change their ideas about gender roles, so ‘women empowerment’ should involve both men and women. I’m helping to organize and facilitate an HIV/AIDS and Gender Inequality Workshop at my organization, The Hunger Project, to demonstrate the link between the lack of women’s rights in society and the spread of HIV/AIDS. While I won’t single-handedly change the gender roles and treatment of women in Uganda, I hope I can help improve the lives of a few women and girls around me.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the 18 days of protests in Egypt (and around the world) demanding change, starting with the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak stepped down today after 30 years of iron-fisted rule in Egypt. For the first time in thirty years the people of Egypt have exercised their power and furthered their right to democracy and decision-making. Among other things, the revolt freed Egyptians from the unrelenting oppression of martial law forced upon them by Mubarak’s rule.

Especially impressive and empowering is the huge role that Egyptian women played in the protests and revolution. According to an article titled, “Arab Women Lead the Charge” a relatively unknown Egyptian woman named Asmaa Mahfouz is now believed to be the person who 3 weeks ago sparked the revolution.  Mahfouz has been an online political activist for the past three years. After posting a video blog demanding that Egyptian men and women step away from their computers and cell phones to stand in the street and protest the corrupt government, ruler and security forces, the revolution began. You can watch the video that started it all HERE (the call for action starts around 1:30.)

This event showed the connective and unifying power of social media, the internet, and other social networking sites that can unite and energize an entire country to start a revolutionary movement that has changed the face of Egypt forever. In Tunisia, Egypt and across the Arab world women are the proponents of protests, revolution and have been speaking out against gender-oppressive regimes.  Journalist Emad Mekay explains, “Women have visibly been in the forefront in demonstrations at Tahrir Square and other places-in a society where women traditionally have taken a back seat.”

While not minimizing the actual participation of men as well as women in the Egyptian revolution and its outcome, a single woman’s video going viral in a male dominated culture where women’s roles have otherwise been circumscribed, can set a spark which has the potential to end oppression and fire-up a revolution. The fact that a young woman (usually forgotten member of Egyptian society) lit the match that started it all is all the more amazing.

Recently, The New York Times reported on the health care situation in turbulent Zimbabwe. Kathy McCarty, an American nurse working at Chidamoyo Christian Hospital in Zimbabwe reported being paid in peanuts, sacks of grain and other non-monetary forms of compensation. The virtual collapse of Mugabe’s economy and the worthlessness of Zim money have people bartering for medical attention. In turn health care providers turn peanuts and other food products into nutritional meals for sick patients.

The Times article explains, “For many rural Zimbabweans, cash remains so scarce that the 85-bed Chidamoyo Christian Hospital has continued to allow its patients to barter. Studies have found that fees are a major barrier to medical care in rural areas, where most Zimbabweans live.” The decision to barter non-monetary goods, turned medical supplies (food and nutrition for patients) in exchange for medical care creates an innovative and win-win situation for Zimbabwean patients.

During the hyperinflation and collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy in 2008 Chidamoyo kept its doors open as a result of patients providing necessary commodities to medical personnel. The staff of Chidamoyo Christian Hospital continues to barter using thrifty techniques to maximize their medical resources. Medical staff reuse latex gloves after sterilization, filling the gloves with water to ensure hole-free supplies. Nurses use cotton balls found in pill bottles to swab patients’ arms before injections.

Regardless of the imperfect Zimbabwean health system, the United States continues to swim in the chaotic, amoral world of health insurance companies, the never ending problem of lack of access to health care and confusing health care legislation. Luckily for Zimbabweans, they seem to have the whole thing figured out.

For more information, HERE is an interesting video recap!