The Division between Public and Private:

During orientation, we heard a lot about gender roles and content prepping us for a situation quite different from the US. For example, there are teahouses in Azerbaijan for men to go and drink tea, talk and gossip, and smoke. Only men can go to these, women are not invited nor allowed.

At first I assumed this was an example of patriarchy at work again, but I believe it is something different. In Azerbaijan, there is a very distinct division between the public and the private. In the US, we tend to privilege the public-restricting someone's rights to participate in the public eye is to restrict their individual freedom. The public has more acreage, therefore it is primary. In Azerbaijan, the public and private seem to be weighted equally, with women receiving privilege in the private and men receiving privilege in the public.

As a man, I cannot simply go to someone's house to study or enjoy an afternoon. Usually we have to involve an LCF to translate our request to the Host Family. However, my friend Carrie can go to any of her friends' houses with no warning. Another example was at a family member's birthday party I recently went to. The men and women stayed in separate rooms the entire time. The men's room was sparsely furnished, eating off a communal platter, on older furniture. However, as a guest I was invited to eat with the women during dinner. They were in the formal dining room, eating on fine china, on luxurious dining chairs.

I'm not sure if my assessment is completely accurate on this, but my observations so far have continued to confirm this idea. I'm also not saying that this results in equal opportunity, but it has been a very interesting and useful lens for me to view through.