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Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections
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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
100 Maasai Women’S Perspectives On The Impact Of Female Genital Cutting On Social And Economic Wellbeing, Rebecca Vandekemp-Mclellan
100 Maasai Women’S Perspectives On The Impact Of Female Genital Cutting On Social And Economic Wellbeing, Rebecca Vandekemp-Mclellan
Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections
Interviews with 100 Maasai women in Narok District, Kenya, explored FGC, early marriage, and financial autonomy, among other topics. Respondents drew a telling picture of the significant social value that FGC holds for the Maasai communities in this study, namely, that FGC is an initiation ceremony that turns children into adults, and is an eligibility requirement for marriage and childbearing. Not only does circumcision create multiple opportunities for increased social status, but it also represents increases in economic security through its power to bring about marriage and reproduction. The overall perspectives of the women on the FGC procedure itself showed …