Society in Southern Sudan, much like all of Sub-Saharan Africa (of which it is not technically considered a part), is substantially shaped by ancient tribal attitudes and beliefs about the respective roles and rights of the two genders. Generally, Sudanese women still endure gender inequality that prevents them from being socially or economically dependent and that exposes most of them to violence inflicted by men both inside and outside of the family. Domestic violence is prevalent largely because Sudanese men belief that it both their rights as men and perfectly appropriate to discipline their wives physically. Because education and professional training are the keys to social independence, the fact that opportunities in those areas are still largely unavailable to most Sudanese women is a significant barrier in that regard. Meanwhile, the empirical evidence demonstrates that once women manage to obtain quality education and professional training, they are readily capable of...
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