To discuss about this issue Life in Kosovo invited some domestic and international anthropologists such as Karolin Llojtllof and Robert Pihler, anthropologist from Austria; Nebi Bardoshi, anthropologist from Albania; Eli Krasniqi and Tahir Latifi, anthropologists from Kosovo; and Ariana Qosaj- Mustafa, lawyer from Kosovo.
Berit Beker and Xhenet Rajnek were the two anthropologists that came to Kosovo, during ‘80ties to write books on how big Albanian families in Kosovo function. They learned Albanian and lived with the big Albanian families in Opoja and Isniq.
After 30 years, two anthropologists are following their steps of these researchers. Eli Krasiqi and Tahir Latifi have decided to live in Opoja and Isniq in order to find out if the life of big Albanian families in Kosovo has changed. This project’s purpose is to analyze the changes that happened in these families after 30 years.
Both anthropologists said that the families are much smaller nowadays, but there are not many changes. Even though in other European countries members of the families no longer live all together, in Kosovo there are still villages and regions such as Opoja and Isniq where members of the families live all together.
Kosovo still remains a patriarchal country where the man of the house still has the last word in decision making. Women, in many parts of Kosovo, are economically dependent on their husbands; therefore, these women think that they do not have the right to make decisions. Ariana Qosaj- Mustafa thinks that as soon as women in Kosovo start to work and they are no longer economically dependent on their husbands, they will be able to take decision for themselves and their families.
Moreover, Caroline Lojtllof said that in the pas a lot of Kosovo citizens migrated and left their wives and children in Kosovo for years. Nowadays men do not leave their wives and children at home because of the different circumstances. If they want to migrate and work somewhere else, they take their wife and their children and go together.