@article{1355965,
      recid = {1355965},
      author = {Dones, Elvira,},
      title = {Sworn virgins [electronic resource] /},
      publisher = {Filmakers Library,},
      address = {New York, NY :},
      pages = {1 online resource (52 min.).},
      year = {2008},
      note = {Originally released as DVD.},
      abstract = {Why would a girl swear to stay a virgin? What kind of  tradition sanctions this form of self-denial? In a  mountainous area of Albania, an ancestral code of laws --  observed to this day -- placed women in the bottom rank of  society. It dictates that "a woman is a sack, made to  endure." A woman cannot choose her husband, buy or sell  property or express herself politically. For centuries, on  a bride s wedding day, her father gave the groom two  bullets, to be used to kill his daughter in case she  misbehaved and dishonored the clan. But there is a  loophole. The ancient laws allowed certain women known as  "Sworn Virgins" to take an oath in front of their clan,  announcing their intention to remain virgins. This  fascinating film reports on several unusual Albanian women  who dress, act, talk, drink, shoot and are respected as  real men. It s not a matter of sexual orientation, and  there s no surgery involved. The villagers in this area  simply accept the fact that some women want to live like  men because they like their freedom. They prefer to manage  their own lives; they do not want to marry and have  children. One such virgin, the oldest of six daughters,  took over the running of the family when their parents  died. Another became an accountant, saying: "I am neither  wife nor mother. I loved working, I did everything for  myself.".},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1355965},
}