[LB28683]

In dining with some of my Ethiopian friends, there seems to be a custom of men and children eating before women, not guests, but women of that household. Can you please give me an idea of why that is?

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Name : LB28683, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 36, City : San Francisco, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Ann L. Lowenstein]

A lot of Ethiopians are Fundamentalist Muslims, and we’ve had plenty of demonstrations over the last decade or so how Fundamentalist Muslims feel about women. The only surprise is they’re allowed to eat at all.

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Name : Ann L. Lowenstein, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Animist, Age : 37, City : K.C., State : MO, Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[R.S]

This seems to be common in lots of African cultures. I suppose it’s a question of priority. In times past, food would have been scarce and the most valued person in the family would have been the male parent, as head of the house. Children are valued to men as status symbols in much of Africa so their survival would have been important too. Hospitality may dictate that guests are treated equally in terms of food distribution.

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Name : R.S, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Hindu, Age : 15, City : Dublin, State : NA, Country : India, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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