140 or natural phenomena. Certain persons – women and men– – are said to have inherited special relations to these spirits, they act as priests of the pangool cult, as diviners and healers (Kalis, 1997; Gravrand, 1990). Lives and status of Seereer women Rural Seereer women usually get married around the age of 18 years. Marriage between cross cousins is preferable 2 , but others are possi- ble as long as the parents agree. A young man will ask his father for counselling in choosing a girl, he will then ask her father for permis- sion. The girl’s father may permit the young man to see her, but if she does not like him, he cannot force her. In certain situations though, the woman has no right to choose, especially if she is di- vorced, widowed or if she has children from another man. Except for the Christian families, most men live in polygamy. There are strict rules for the equal treatment of all co-spouses, but men are the first ones to admit that there will always be a preferred wife. Women can get a divorce if they are treated badly by their hus- bands, if they just do not get along, or if the husband proves to be infertile (although causes for sterility in a couple will be first sought for in the wife). A woman can also behave in a way to make her husband send her back to her parents, however this will be consid- ered more or less shameful. Women‘s first duty is to faithfully serve their husbands and to give birth to their common offspring. Women take part in most of the agricultural work, cleaning the field of weeds, harvesting and stocking the grain. They are in charge of the rice and millet granaries and they are responsible for their economic use during the year. They determine the daily quantity and complete all the steps in the processing of the millet. In general women do the cooking and have to make sure that every family member gets enough to eat. Often they can make some money for themselves by bulk buying basic commodities (like sugar, tea, soap etc.) and reselling them in smaller quantities. The profit margin is always quite small and just helps cover the usual living expenses or the cost of condiments. A woman may have some smaller animals to herself, such as goats, sheep and chicken, and if one of her children falls sick, she might have to sell an animal in order to pay for the healer or dispensary costs.