The tradition of the ‘Sworn Virgin’, while constituting an undeniable manifestation of gender performativity, paradoxically proves to be an instrument of preservation and perpetuation of female oppression. Under the appearance of being a vector for increasing privileges and freedom for the woman who embraces a male role, such as the Sworn Virgin, it simultaneously operates as a mechanism hindering the progressive evolution of gender role distribution. Indeed, this tradition becomes a reflex solution to any attempt to redefine gender roles – forcing those who aspire to more freedoms or to privileges traditionally masculine, to don male identities. Thus, far from being a vector of change and emancipation, the tradition of the Sworn Virgin reveals itself to be a sophisticated and meticulously elaborated stratagem, aimed at maintaining the immutability of the roles assigned to men and women. It unveils itself not only as a response to the feminine demands for expanded access to freedoms, but also as a victory of the patriarchal system, which effectively stifles the aspirations of women for greater freedom, as such.
The Tradition of the Sworn Virgin, a Sophisticated and Meticulously Elaborated Stratagem?
Thus, far from being a vector of change and emancipation, the tradition of the Sworn Virgin reveals itself to be a sophisticated and meticulously elaborated stratagem, aimed at maintaining the immutability of the roles assigned to men and women.
Klara Buda
Burrnesha Bedrije, courtoisie Hazir Reka