The rural woman in Albania continues to face great challenges and has limited knowledge of her rights. Despite efforts for gender equality, women in these areas are still neglected by institutions and face problems such as low pensions, unemployment and lack of opportunities for social mobility. An aging population and immigration add to their difficulties. Although they play important roles in tourism and agriculture, they receive very little support. This stark contrast between women in politics and ordinary women highlights the divide between urban and rural areas.
Author Arlis ALICAJ
"I have never heard these names," says Beke Bylykbashi, when we ask her about MPs and ministers, such as Elisa Spiropali, Albana Vokshi, Ermonela Felaj, etc. She is a lady who lives on the outskirts of Librazhd and who survives in poverty and often unable to provide bread for the family. She doesn't even know what "gender equality" means; he does not remember having visited any lady of the parliament, neither her neighborhood nor the surrounding areas. I have no idea what a non-governmental organization is, which protects women's rights.
Shefikatja is a lady who works in a restaurant on the outskirts of Librazhd. She says that she has heard of some of the women politicians, and even served one of them at the restaurant where she works.
"At the bar on the outskirts of Librazhd, where I work, during the weekends I often meet ladies from the capital with expensive cars, who are leaving for Pogradec and Korça. One day I saw Mrs. Albana Vokshi and I was impressed that she had a lot of makeup on her face. I didn't like it, because he didn't leave me a tip for the service. We are strong, communist women, they belong to modern times", says Shefikatja.
She does not know the concept of gender equality and is completely uninterested in the reports that are constantly published by politics, media or government organizations about gender equality. Shefikatja is in a daily battle to provide bread for the children and she doesn't even know what her rights are. She laughs ironically when we quote some of them. She says that, "these only work for relevant and modern women".
Bekja and Shefikatja do not know that for their rights and for those of all women in Albania, hundreds of millions of euros are spent by politics and non-governmental organizations, in propaganda to offer a reality that does not exist in Albania, that of efforts and achievements in terms of gender equality. The difficult life of Beka and Shefikate show us this extreme difference between political women and ordinary women, and even further, the difference between women in rural areas and those in urban areas.
In an observation of the journalist ACQJ, Arlis Alikaj, on the website of AMSHC, Agency for the Protection of Civil Society, it is interesting that in the register of NGOs (Non-Profit Organizations), in the data for the district of Elbasan, mainly for the cities of Librazhd, Përrenjas, Gramsh, Cërrik and Belsh, about 80% of these organizations have been established and have male executive leaders, such as associations For the benefit of the Albanian woman (NDGSH), Elbasan has executive director Daniel Kadri Zhuglin, NGO Progress for all there is a man executive director, Haxhi Balliun, also the association Aurora there is a gentleman named Pëllumb Gjini and so on, Association of Beekeepers, Librazhd, which empowers women in the field of beekeeping and has had projects for women farmers, is headed by a man named Veli Hoxha or the association, which includes Egyptian women, the association of the Egyptian community, We are too, there is a man in charge, whose name is Rexhep Shaka.
Bekja and Shefikatja have never heard of these organizations, because they are busy every day in the battle for survival.
Beke Bylykbashi retired a few months ago. She has been working since the age of 16 and, although she has 22 years of social security, her pension was only 8,900 lek a month.
"I thought that retirement is supposed to be at an age when you get the fruits of all these years of work, but not in the face of the increased price of energy, monthly medicines and other expenses.
Today I'm almost on the edge of depression, because I don't know how to make it through the end of the month together with my husband, who is disabled. We have worked all our lives and receive low pensions", - says Bekja with pain.
With a range of age-related ailments, she says she is on the verge of survival. He was recently diagnosed with thyroid nodules and should have thyroid examinations every three months in Tirana, as there are no specialist doctors in Librazhd.
"I don't know how I would do it under the conditions of an operation, I can't afford it.
I have fallen on the neck of my son, the only one, who is not able to build his future, as he takes care of us. If we don't have that, my husband and I will die to eat", - adds Bekja with tears in her eyes.
"In some small towns in Albania, most middle-aged women do not work outside their home. A combination of poor, economic conditions and social, conservative tendencies keep them at home, but they have skills. Some have been teachers, or nurses, or salespeople. Others are good at knitting or are wonderful cooks.
Many of them would find an opportunity to use these skills, in a way that would help them improve their situation", - says Michael Black, a former volunteer of the organization American Peace Corps, who worked with marginalized women in small communities.
The rural woman, the pillar of tourism and cuisine
Librazhdi and Përrenjasi have the largest park in Albania, which is an area protected by UNESCO. The women of this area are committed to cope, as much as they can, with the flow of tourists that come because of the tourist area where they live, but they say that the local government does not support them with almost anything.
"At this time, when the statistics are frightening in depopulation and emigration by young people, mothers must be engaged, who continue to remain in most countries the main workforce in tourist areas. We need to see more women in programs and businesses", says tourism expert Ahmet Mehmeti from the organization Ecological Club, Elbasan.
90 participants, women and girls, from the rural areas of the municipalities of Elbasan, Kolonje, Korçë and Pukë, involved in various value chains in the agro-food sector, met in the fourth edition of For Rural Women in the small, rural community of Shirgjan.
"Conscious, that women are important actors in the agro-food sector, they remain the main contributors in the agricultural and rural sector, as well as in the general social-economic development of the country", - it was said in Statement of Women and Girls of Rural Communities.
"There can be no progress in any sector, including the agricultural and rural sector, if we do not empower women to fight poverty and social exclusion. The elimination of gender inequalities is primary for the social and economic empowerment of women and girls in agricultural and rural development, to make our contribution visible, to be active participants in the economy and community life, as well as beneficiaries of equal opportunities in the family, entrepreneurship and community", says Evelina Azizaj, coordinator of Albanian Network for Rural Development.
"We must invest in rural girls. The youth law is superficial and treats rural youth the same as urban youth, but the challenges of a rural youth are not the same as those of an urban youth. Inadequate infrastructure makes it difficult to access opportunities", adds Evelina.
The government gap with quotas, outside Tirana women feel forgotten
Rural women are evidence of the failure of the ordeal of policies with rural women. The lack of attention is affecting the lives of women with ridiculous pensions, where most of them do not have money to buy medicines for chronic diseases.
"The state has failed in deep areas, where in Tirana Edi Rama promotes his government as a model with quotas, but among the women of rebirth, who hide millions of euros in the ventilation pipes and the rural women of Librazhd, who spend the winter without heating, is to cry and laugh. Women's unpaid work is an obstacle to their economic empowerment. Also, the lack and diversification of opportunities leads women to isolation. The woman is the pillar of the house, but the rural woman is forgotten", says Luljeta Hasanaj from Environmental Center for Studies and Applications, which leads the initiative of Women's Club for their economic empowerment in Librazhd and Përrenjas.
According to Association of Municipalities, in the Reform for the new Administrative Division, the new Municipality of Librazhdi has a population of 44,181 inhabitants. We inquired at the Employment Office in Librazhd and, according to the information they gave us, there are a total of 315 women who are registered as unemployed jobseekers at this office. From our observation, but also by asking citizens, the number is certainly many times higher and this number does not reflect reality.
Shefikatja works in a small hotel on the outskirts of Librazhdi. She says her salary is too low and does not reflect the government's increase.
"I am homeless, I live on rent. I came from a village in Librazhd for more opportunities. I have been working all these years just to survive. We buy the bread. My daughter finishes high school and I don't know if I will be able to send her to high school. I am upset for her, she has never seen the sea with the same eyes as her friends. Even on the prom night, he doesn't want to go''.
Etleva, an educator from Përrenjasi, says that she has a small farm with chickens belonging to her mother. She says that she has tried several times to expand the activity, buying more chickens, to create an economic initiative for selling their meat and eggs. Taxes, municipal pressure and the process of formalism overwhelmed the steppe and she decided to close the activity.
"My mother, a 61-year-old woman, is now supported only by her pension, because she did not find support for her idea, she did not find a cooperative spirit. He suffers from diabetes and with his pension money he can't even buy the bands to measure diabetes. He must wait until he is over 65 to receive them for free. By selling the chickens, she wanted to support herself for her health", - Etleva concludes upset.
Shpresa and Refat Brahja are an elderly couple from the Egyptian community, who sell seeds in Librazhd.
"We don't get our pensions, we sell seeds and, when the Municipal Police passes by, we hide. Sometimes we sell clothes, sometimes bananas. We host different holidays, sometimes we become Muslims, sometimes Christians, according to those who give us help and free food", - adds Hope.
Women's problems are numerous, but unemployment is one of the most important. Few of the women, who live in small towns or rural areas, can find a job. Even in cases where they have such an opportunity, most work without social security. They say that private employers abuse overtime hours and no one controls them. They do not have a stable income and they do not have a secure job.
"We have also seen heartless and inhumane statements by politicians, who do not know what it means to be poor, who have also suggested reduction of pensions, that they never get enough!", - says the tourism expert, Ahmet Mehmeti, also part of the third age.
"And although we have no voice, the women of Librazhd are strong. We give ourselves hope and we don't give up. Although we still pay to the neighborhood doctor, for private tests, etc., we have the ability to manage and survive with the resources we have", concludes Bekja.
Adelina Mema is a lady who lives in the village of Dardhë, part of 100 tourist villages. It also shows us the difficulties in coping with village life.
"The village pensions are very low, under 10,000 new lek per month. We cannot take an economic initiative or buy the raw material; let alone the problems with water, with infrastructure and others. We cannot see the beauties of our country and we barely make ends meet", says Adelina.
Photo: Arlis Alikaj
Like Bekja, Shefikatja and Bukuria, the majority are women, who live in rural areas or in small towns, like Librazhdi. They face every day the battle for survival, to provide bread for the children, while they neither claim nor recognize their rights. These women from the suburbs of Albania are also suffering from the absence of their children, because most of them have left for emigration.
Rural women, not only without any pension increase recently, but also with unaffordable pensions for reality
While the population is shrinking in the younger age groups, there is growth in the older age group. In January 2023, over 454 people were over 64 years old, with a 3.4% increase compared to January 2022 and about 17% compared to January 2018.
Official figures show that pensioners have higher employment rates in the second and third quarters of each year, which also coincides with the peak of the tourist and agricultural season.
INSTAT reported as employed over 71 thousand pensioners in the first quarter, which constituted 15.6% of the total population over 65 years old. Compared to the first quarter of 2022, the number of employed pensioners increased by 17%. The number of retirees, who are reported as employed, has increased over the last decade. Low pensions, the spaces left empty by young people and especially some jobs in the agricultural sector are being filled by the retirement age population. The chart below shows that the over 64 population is growing rapidly.
Also, according to one another recent study of INSTAT-it, the gradual aging of the population and immigration, which has mainly involved young people, is significantly changing the structure of the population in the country, inverting the pyramid in favor of older ages. Statistics show that the age group up to 29 years old shrank by 40 people in just one year.
According to a World Bank report, Albania has reached the rich countries for the aging of the population. Emigration and declining births have rapidly aged the populations of countries in transition, making it even more difficult for them to adapt to the new, demographic conditions.
ACQJ addressed him INSTAT-it through a request for information with e-mail and telephone, in terms of the number of women living in rural areas, in relation to those living in urban areas; as well as how much is the minimum pension that a woman receives in the village.
According to the official answer INSTAT-it, in 2021 there were a total of 71,500 women receiving rural pension for the 2020-2021 Social Security scheme. The pension received by a rural Albanian woman in the village amounts to 9,656 ALL. A rural, disabled woman receives 8,195 ALL. Average, monthly, gross salary during the first quarter of 2023 it is ALL 64.706, increasing by 9,2% compared to the same quarter last year, while pensions have not undergone a significant increase.
Between the years 2020-2021, an increase of only 300 lek ($2.5) is observed. For a rural woman, with monthly expenses, medicines and other family needs, living is unaffordable with these low pensions compared to other countries in the region.
This article is part of the Investigative Journalism Laboratory project, which is financially supported by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State.
