Being a widow under the age of 40 in America is quite unusual. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are only 44,000 widows in that group as compared to 650,000 widows over the age of 40. When people in the U.S. learn about my story, most are surprised. Yet being a widow under the age of 40 in Uganda is quite common. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicates that 705,000 people are widowed and that 630,000 of those widows are under the age of 40. Quite a reversal compared to the U.S. No one is surprised about widowhood here. Remember too that the Ugandan life expectancy is 52 years as compared to 78 in the U.S.
A major difference between how the two cultures respond to widows is that widows in Uganda have few rights to the land or property held by their husband. Another major difference is that Ugandan widows typically have only homemaking skills, which are important but not sufficient for providing finances for the family. In short, if a Ugandan woman is widowed while under the age of 40 she would be evicted from her home, have several small children, and have no skills from which to earn a living for her family. More than once I have been thankful that I have been able to stay in my home and that I have skills and education sufficient for earning a living.
What strikes me is that any culture could be so accustomed to premature death that they’re almost desensitized to it. This is not to say that there is something wrong with the culture but that there is something wrong with so much death.
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