| dc.description.abstract | The term conundrum may mean a tricky problem that is difficult to solve (Oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary, 2000: 251). It describes the problems of the African patriarchal society in
which the sex
-
based assignment of rol
es projects a spectre of inferiority and unworthiness over
women while casting the characteristics of superiority on to men (cf. Lumumba et al, 2011:99).
Traditionally, most Africans tend to assume the position of women, and the Maasai of Kenya are
not an
exception.
Among the Maasai like most Africans, gender inequality and inequity are fundamental structures of
social hierarchy believed to shape how people are related within the society. Being based on social
relations, gender conundrums are part and parc
el of the Maasai daily life and seem to be more
pronounced in sexual relations. The argument of this paper is: HIV/AIDS is transmitted through;
sexual contact, and exposure to infected blood or blood components and prenatally from the mother
to the neonate
(Dennis et al, 1989:31).
The paper
attempts to answer the following questions: What are the
patriarchal practices
that lead
to
sexual oppression of women su
ch as; female genital mutilation,
widow remarriage, polygamy
;
what is the
n
egative impact of
marria
ge
arrangements between young girls and elderly men
among
the Maasai
?
Is the
practice of sharing women among age mates
still practiced among the Maasai?
And if so, isn’t it a
common path
of HIV infections?
To actualize our investigation, the
paper analyz
e
s
the cultural education system for socializing girls
and suggests
ways of ameliorating such patriarchal and cultural tendencies. This w
as
done through
field research involving administration of questionnaires to various groups apart from oral
discussions
with some elders from the Maasai community. | en_US |
