Fearing Such a Lady: University Expansion and Gendered Relationship Ideals in Kampala, Uganda

• In Event: 3553 - Gender Inequality: Gender Ideology and Expectations

Abstract

In Uganda, female students have gained more equal representation at the university level during an era of unprecedented expansion in post-secondary education. In the capital the proportion of women aged 25-29 who are university graduates increased from 2% in 1995 to 29% in 2011. Drawing from semi-structured interviews conducted in the capital city of Kampala, we investigate how this broad demographic shift is impacting cultural norms surrounding marriage and sexual relationships. In particular, we center our analysis on the tensions around three sets of cultural beliefs about gender dynamics and relationships in Uganda: hypergamy, the female submissive ideal and the male provider ideal. Our findings indicate that at the center of being an educated woman is the friction between maintaining the independence they gained through schooling, and following the female submission ideal men expect. Similarly, women’s increasing education has also posed new challenges for young men and their ability to fulfill their provider ideal in romantic relationships. Nonetheless, both educated men and women apply a set of strategies to manage these challenges and reconcile their new realities with traditional gender expectations. These findings reveal how expanding educational opportunities reconfigure relationship norms and aspirations, gendered power dynamics, and family formation processes.

Authors

• Margaret Frye, Princeton University

• Daniela Urbina Julio, Princeton University