The Ede People: Where Women Lead — Defiant

The Ede are the largest ethnic minority of the small Southeast Asian country of Vietnam, they are located primarily in the central highlands and have a population of around 330,000. They are unique in many of their own ways including their language, cuisine, music, and garments. However, they are arguably the most known for being one of the world’s few completely matrilineal societies. Their practices seem to be a total opposite of the patriarchal world most of us live in. For starters, in marriage women run it all. The children take their mother’s name surname and the husband typically moves in with his wife instead of the other way around. And unlike in the west, men go to the mothers of their soon-to-be wife instead of her father to declare their love and get approval. Women are in control of the land as they are the inheritors. Although gender roles in this society are divided like in most other countries, women run the household. What is considered the “nuclear” family, belongs to the maternal side of the family as the husband is the one to join his wife’s family. Historically, Ede women were also chiefs and managed land as well, although nowadays it is more democratic and members of the village leadership positions are elected. Societal rights are fairly equal, if a woman is widowed she is encouraged to marry, both parties contribute equally to the household, reproduction is prioritized and both parties have equal rights in becoming parents and parenting. Ede men act as representatives for their wives and her family in the village but again, anything brought forward must be contributed by women. And because of this, if the woman dies, the Ede man is dismissed from that role or position within the village. As quoted by Thu Nhung Mlo in her study Relationship Between the Sexes in the Ede’s Traditional Family and Society, “Ede men are responsible for public works and are only representatives for matrilineal kinship”.

From the outside, this sounds like an alien concept to those of us that live in the male-dominated world when in reality many African and Asian societies functioned like this prior to colonialism and outside influences, even though many ethnic groups had male chiefs or leaders they worked under the instruction of women and follow their decisions. It seems so difficult to imagine looking at leadership positions around the world now and the lack of female representation in governments and decision-making positions. Ethnic groups and societies like this one help dismantle the idea/negative stereotype that men are meant to be leaders or that women make incompetent leaders because these people demonstrate exactly how women can efficiently lead society, that it can be done and that it is not unrealistic. Women make as competent leaders as men do, counterarguments that suggest women are too emotional or compulsive to take on high-ranking positions are purely ignorant and rooted in misogyny. After all, none of the multiple major wars in the last decades were started by women.

The Ede ethnic group is just one of many that show that all parties in society can work together without the need for the oppression of women and demonstrates just how working together can create a dynamic that contributes to building a more equal opportunity and united community. It is an example to learn from.

It is time we bring more women into governments and decision-making positions and realize that women are fully competent to take such roles and their participation and input can benefit everyone. Making room for and including women in leadership is just one step in the right direction, but it’s a start. Having women lead spreads the message that women too, are powerful and deserve to be listened to, and hopefully, it will be the start of recognition within society to eventually result in better treatment and respect of women everywhere. It can lead to the destruction of the gender stereotype that women must be obedient, meant to live under men, and replace it with a different reality where it is normalized for women to be part of the decisions being taken and have a say. Encouraging female leadership is crucial for the advancement of not just women but society as a whole. Groups like the Ede people’s show us that it can exist, that it is possible to have a society where everyone collaborates and women’s voices matter.