Muş Women Travel Miles Daily to Milk Herds

In Muş, berivans (women who milk) start a demanding workday in the early morning hours. They milk hundreds of sheep and goats in the highlands.

Women living in Altınova town, part of Korkut district, finish their housework and then, with their buckets and containers, head towards the highlands where the herds are located.

After a journey of approximately one hour, using tractors or horse-drawn carts they rent together, they reach the area where the animals are. They complete their preparations and begin the milking process.

Despite the hot weather, they milk hundreds of sheep and goats. They carry the milk they obtain back to the village and turn it into yogurt, cheese, and butter.

The berivans continue the same work shift every day, morning and evening. By selling a portion of the products they prepare, they contribute to their family budgets.

İpek Taş, one of the women, stated that they travel a total of 20 kilometers round trip every day to milk the sheep and goats.

Taş noted that they reach the area where the animals are after a challenging journey and added: "We are involved in animal husbandry. Every day, we go and come back twice, in the morning and in the evening. Each time we travel approximately 10 kilometers, totaling 20 kilometers a day. We work both here and at home. In summer, in temperatures reaching 35-40 degrees, we care for our sheep and goats and milk them. We produce cheese from the milk and sell it. Our work is really hard, but we love it. Animal husbandry is our livelihood. That's why we continue to work despite all the difficulties."

Sabahat Yaprak, another berivan, also stated that they work at a fast pace in village life. Yaprak said, "Village life is like this. Some have been involved in animal husbandry for 20 years, some for 30 years. I have been doing this work for about 9 years. We have to, because we have no other income. If we don't work, we can't make a living. Baking bread, taking care of children, housework, and all other responsibilities mostly fall on women's shoulders. We both carry the burden of the home and support animal husbandry when needed. We work under difficult conditions, but we try to survive through our labor."

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