“Our yard” with the eyes of the researcher

I live in one of the suburban districts of Yerevan where from the center of the city you can reach just 15 minutes. But sometimes it seems to me that the unit of measuring this space is in my perception and that of people in the yard is in different dimensions, and the center is an alternative reality for many, with its everyday life, entertainment centers and activities.

The entertainment of our neighborhood is mostly limited to the yard. Especially in the summer it is possible to see almost the same picture: men sitting in the yard, drinking beer, playing card games or listening to some important discussions, while women are busy taking care of the children, talking to each other. Over the years, this image remains unchanged; moreover, I am convinced that the situation is the same in many yards of Yerevan. It looks like time has stopped and only actors are changing …

As we have seen recently in the World Vision-Armenia “organization’s research ” The Invisible Side of everyday life: Gender stereotypes”, as in the case of work performance and decision making, the “indoors “and” outside ” principle  also exists.in the organization of leisure.

“Outside public spaces are freely used by men, that is, they are male, whereas the only area where women can freely organize their leisure is inside of the house.”

For most families living in our yard, it is unacceptable if a woman decides to organize her entertainment, choose where she wants to go or after work tired of everyday troubles, not to eat at home, but at some café-restaurant.

By the way, according to the authors of the “Invisible Side of the everyday life ” research, the bride-mother-in-law conflict is not the only clash of generations. “Just a few centuries ago, as evidenced by ethnographic material, the status of a woman is changing in middle-aged groups when a woman starts to participate in family decision-making. That is to say, from that age onward, the woman goes to the male pole and can take part in making men’s decisions. A woman with a mother-in-law’s status begins to protect the man’s authority and does not allow the bride to break that strain in her family. A woman with the status of a mother-in-law begins to keep the family model that is man-centered and where the man must rule, “says the research … And the families of our yard, as well as most of our surrounding families, prove that truth ….