11/01/2026
: Why educated girls find it hard to get married in South Sudan?
By Maker Mangol Acien Yuol
Email: [email protected]
Educated girls in South Sudan face numerous difficulties in getting married. Many educated men prefer to marry uneducated girls from their villages, especially those involved in cattle rearing.
In communities like Gok, Agar, Yirol, Warrap's communities, Unity's communities, Bor, Twic, Mundari, Upper Nile's communities, etc., traditional gender roles are deeply ingrained. Edcation for girls is not always prioritized because girls are believed to get spoiled easily in schools when they are considered one of the family incomes through the dowries paid.
Some men may feel intimidated by educated women or prefer more traditional partners. Additionally, the behaviors seen with some educated ladies disengage men from dating them or breaking some relationships with them. When a girl knows her rights in schools, she will definitely defend her rights, and in the end, she may be violating the norms and values of the community as the norms and values of the communities do not align with school norms and values, leading to some misunderstanding about our educated ladies. The dowry system creates significant financial pressure. Educated girls often have higher dowry expectations, which can deter potential suitors who can not or do not wish to meet these demands. There is a perception that educated women may prioritize their careers over family life, causing hesitance among men who value traditional household roles. These educated ladies may produce fewer children compared with the uneducated ladies who get married at an early age, and this has given them a hard time to get partners as African cultures center on the number of children a family will have in the end. The educated ladies hardly share with other co-wives. They will hardly allow their men to marry second or more wives, perhaps bringing fear in men. There is a mismatch in the number
