The men of the house

[Stormy Weather]

In the rigidly patriarchal society of the remote mountain villages of northern Albania and beyond, they have a unique way of providing a head of the household when there is no male heir, or the men of the family have died in battle. A girl - or her parents - may declare that she has become a "male". From then on, she - now he - will be brought up and dressed as a boy/man, perform male tasks and mix socially as a male with boys. He will become the head of the family, organise the division of labour and wealth, be permitted to carry a weapon and uphold the family honour in blood feuds...

...Although the change to the male gender is irreversible, most express no regrets; indeed, it is a matter of pride. There's a spirit, a sense of family honour, that is hard for westerners to comprehend, something alluded to by Kajtaz when he says, "There is no better gift than the respect of one's father." Some must surely become lonely; others have close family - Sokol, for example, heads his nephew's family, and is therefore held in great social respect.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2045359,00.html