Dilya-eje, a secondary school teacher in the border village of Samarkandek, Kyrgyzstan, often visits the houses of her neighbourhood to record the children who should attend school the next year. She always indicates the status of their parents in her notebook. More than half of the parents are labelled as migrants.
When men migrate, women take on the usual male roles: today most agricultural labour in the villages is done by women. But in Kyrgyzstan there are also a high number of women migrants. In 2016, women accounted for about 40% of total Kyrgyz labour migrants to Russia. Some are divorced or married women and some are very young girls who begin to earn money just after graduating from high school. Women migrating to Russia are usually employed in the service sector.
Because of these trends, traditional notions of femininity and masculinity are now often in conflict. Despite the fact that these women are sometimes the main source of income in their families, they have to face misogynistic behaviour – and violence.
What does the passage actually mean when it says that the women do agricultural labour?
- AThey rewrite history.
- BThey assume the male roles.
- CThey create alternative culture.
- DThey accept the harsh realities.
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
The passage explicitly states: "When men migrate, women take on the usual male roles: today most agricultural labour in the villages is done by women." Hence, performing agricultural labour means they assume male roles.