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Albania

Formerly a member of the Soviet Union, the southeastern European nation of Albania has a long history of foreign alliances. Since becoming independent in the early 1990s, Albania has been plagued with high unemployment (12 percent), extensive corruption, organized crime, and outdated infrastructures. Albanians (95 percent) dominate ethnically, and those of Greek origin make up the largest minority group. Some diversity exists in religion, but 70 percent of the population are Muslim.

Women's Rights: An Uphill Struggle

Albania remains a male-dominated society, and in northeastern Albania, many males endorse the traditional Kanun code, which mandates male superiority. Since the 1990s, there has been some progress in women's rights, but major discrimination of Balkan Egyptians, Roma (gypsies), and homosexuals continues.

Forced marriages are still an issue in Albania, and according to a 2004 United Nations report, 8 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are married, divorced, or widowed. Fathers are given custody of children in four out of every five divorce cases. According to inheritance laws, wives may inherit 50 percent of property, but male family members are usually granted ownership of family-owned land. As a result of religious and cultural dictates coupled with economic pressures, many women are reluctant to exercise their rights. However, nongovernmental organizations, including some international women's rights groups, are proving to be a valuable resource for women needing assistance. Although women can seek divorces, some are forced to continue residing in their former husbands’ homes because they cannot afford to live on their own. Prostitution is illegal, but trafficking and abduction for sexual purposes was not against the law until 2001. Albania still leads southeastern Europe in female trafficking.

Rape is now illegal, but it often goes unreported because of the perceived dishonor to victims’ families. In 2005, a survey conducted by the United States State Department revealed that 64 percent of respondents reported had been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused. The following year, under pressure from the Women's Legal Rights Project, the government expanded laws against domestic violence. Abortions are free at public hospitals, and women now have the right to sue for sexual harassment on the job.

Economic and Health Metrics

In 2009, Albania's per capita income was reported at $6,200. Although 47 percent of Albanians live in urban areas, 58 percent of the work force are still involved in agriculture, largely in near subsistence farming. Fifty-seven percent of rural residents are female, and 70 percent of women who work are employed in agriculture. In rural areas, four out of five people live in poverty. Women are also disproportionately affected by unemployment, and they generally earn 20 percent less than males. Only 18 percent of business managers are female.

Albania ranks 107th in the world in infant mortality, with a rate of 18.62 deaths per 1,000 live births. Female infants (18.15) have an advantage over males (19.05). That survival rate widens in adulthood, and females have a life expectancy of 80.89 years as compared to 75.28 for males. The median age for females is 30.6 years. Albanian women have a fertility rate of 2.01 children. Males (99.2 percent) are more likely to be literate than females (98.3 percent), but all Albanians typically attend school for 11 years. However, educational levels are lower in rural areas.

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