Presented at the 34th AFSAAP Conference Flinders University 2011 1

This paper explores existing issues of gender balances in the developing world, in Africa, focusing on South Sudan and its implications on family relations in Australia. These issues include lack of education, forced marriages, dowry, inheritances and change in family dynamics in Australia. Lack of educational opportunities placed women at highest level of illiteracy in the developing world, particularly in South Sudan. The norm is that families that keep their daughters at home are considered the best. Their parents will arrange their daughters ’ marriages at ease to secure high dowry price. It is also in active practice that widows are inherited by male in laws when their husbands die. On the top of these women are predominantly behind closed doors rearing children, willingly denied access the domain workforce. As a consequence women are victimized and unable to progress equally to men. However, with growing awareness on Human Rights education for women in Diaspora adding to opportunity for African women to resettle in Western countries women are able to claim some rights and are determined to turn the challenges into opportunities. There is hope for change in women’s rights, but at price of family disintegration. As a result many men left their wives and children and went home to marriage abandoning their families in Diaspora