For centuries, Mongolia has been characterized as a herder culture, with few opportunities to make a living outside of this ancient tradition. All that is changing – and dramatically so – as billions of Western dollars in mining investment pour into the country creating new demand for labor and management resulting in a cultural shift.
oung Mongolians, especially women, are stepping up to meet that demand – educating and preparing themselves as ambitious young professionals in response to transnational companies’ vacancy announcements that no longer fit traditional gender and cultural roles. Their male counterparts are becoming less and less economically influential – and in many cases, less viable – as traditional herders.
The tensions between men and women in this ancient culture are palpable – with male alcoholism and other social vices on the rise, especially among the young. The result is a vicious circle in which women look elsewhere for partners. In the words of the 23 year-old Mongolian woman Enny Odon, whom I met on a visit to Ulaanbaatar, “I want to marry a man who is educated and successful. I don’t want to marry a herder.”
Shanty towns are scattered around the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar – a city gleaming with high-end luxury stores like Versace
This same message seems to have resonated across the countryside as thousands of herders each year flock to the capital Ulaanbaatar to join a half million dwellers there in what are known as the ger districts. These shanty towns are scattered around the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar – a city gleaming with high-end luxury stores like Versace and a sprinkling of business people in US$5,000 suits walking the streets.
I met with Keith Swanson, an American living in Mongolia since 1999 and currently working as an environmental-conservation consultant. Keith described the dramatic change he has witnessed in recent years, “The markets just aren’t there like they used to be under the old state-run economy. Herders have to find their own markets for milk, meat, and wool products. In addition, the small herders that have a hundred or so livestock are up against the corporate herders and as a result are left behind.”
The markets just aren’t there like they used to be under the old state-run economy. Herders have to find their own markets for milk, meat, and wool products
For many herders, if they cannot find other sources of income, their standard of living plummets. I met with herder Davaa and his wife Yadmaa, who have found alternative income in providing ger homestays to tourists. They provide guests with a traditional herder experience that includes ger accommodations, meals and early morning cow milking.
Davaa and his wife have no plans to abandon their herding lifestyle but see the herder culture diminishing, “A herder’s life is harsh and the young people don’t want to do it. We hope that our son will be able to find a job in the city once he graduates from university.”
By Lam Ngo
