The Burrnesha, or the “Balkan sworn virgins,” are Albanian women that choose to live as men. Reasons for doing so stem from the attempt to escape a patriarchal society or to provide for the family. The latter reason created the burrnesha and is the traditional reason that an Albanian woman would choose to live life as a man. Families in the country are often embroiled in blood debts, seeking revenge on others for killing one of their own. When the men in a family would be killed off through blood feuds, a woman of the family would step up and “become” a man to provide for the family.[1] Women that become burrnesha must swear an oath to remain celibate; only then are they allowed to become men.
Historically the role of burrneshas was to provide for a family that no longer had men to provide for it. Currently, not many of them exist; however, those that do often make the transition to escape the patriarchal society that exists in Albania. In one example, a woman became burrnesha to avoid an arranged marriage.[2] Burrnesha are treated equally as men, and for all practical purposes are considered men.
However, even though they have made the transition and are no longer seen as women, burrnesha still face discrimination. One burrnesha, Lume, has an encounter with his brother that a reporter witnesses. The brother does not acknowledge him, instead greeting the other members of the family.[3] An Albanian saying, “even the grave won’t keep you if you’re burrnesha,” shows that despite being treated as men the burrneshas will never be considered “normal.” They may have the same rights and responsibilities, but others treat them as if they should not exist.
Even though Albanian society and culture view the burrnesha effectively as men, granting them the same rights and privileges, the burrnesha face and have faced animosity. Many burrnesha reject their sex and make the switch while young, fully committing to their roles as men. This creates a sense of confusion in some; others believe that the time of women living as men has passed, and that this part of Albanian culture should be given up. Even though burrnesha have the gender of men, their sex is still female; therefore, they will still face hostile sentiment from others in their country and even sometimes in their own family.
[1] Emilienne Malfatto and Jelena Prtoric, Last of the burrnesha: Balkan women who pledged celibacy to live as men (The Guardian, August 2015) www.theguardian.come
[2] Ibid.
[3] Michael Paterniti, The Mountains Where Women Live as Men (GQ, March 2014) www.gq.come
Bibliography:
Malfatto, Emilienne and Prtoric, Jelena, Last of the burrnesha: Balkan women who pledged celibacy to live as men (The Guardian, August 2015) www.theguardian.come
Paterniti, Michael , The Mountains Where Women Live as Men (GQ, March 2014) www.gq.come
