The Scramble over the Skirt: The Patriarchal Narratives Weaponized Against NCAA
By Amer Mayen Dhieu, Brisbane, Australian
Saturday, 25 July 2026 (PW) — The current debate over TEYA‑Juba’s proposed constitutional amendments, which seek to censor, contain, and politically domesticate the NyanCit Arialbeek Association (NCAA), has generated a wave of patriarchal conspiracy theories attempting to justify the absorption of an independent women-led organisation into a male-dominated executive structure.
Through a careful feminist analysis, this short article argues that the dispute over TEYA-Juba’s proposed constitutional amendment is, at its core, a patriarchal power grab wrapped in conspiracy theories designed to shame, confuse and discredit those defending women’s independence and institutional autonomy.
1 – “Girls should compete in TEYA instead of being isolated in NCAA.”
This argument disguises itself as empowerment while contradicting TEYA‑Juba’s own proposed amendments. The amended constitution claims NCAA will remain independent, yet TEYA simultaneously insists on integrating NCAA leadership into its executive, a classic patriarchal maneuver to enforce structural dependency. An independent NCAA does not prevent Twic East girls from contesting TEYA positions.
TEYA is gender‑neutral by law, and women already serve within its current leadership. The real issue is not access but organizational visibility, influence, and effectiveness. NCAA women are more popular, more organised, and more impactful than their TEYA counterparts. If either organisation requires empowerment, it is TEYA, not NCAA. If integration is being pushed to dim NCAA’s light or dilute its effectiveness, then this is containment, not empowerment.
If NCAA was created to empower women, then its autonomy must remain intact. Real empowerment means protecting grassroots spaces where girls can discover their voices without being overshadowed by male‑dominated political culture.
2 – “Men supporting NCAA are men in skirts.”
This derogatory slogan exposes the gendered anxiety among “Juniors in Skirts” driving the debate. If “Men in Skirts” is meant to imply weakness, then who is truly courageous: The men defending women’s autonomy, or the men attempting to seize control of a women-led organisation?
Those attacking NCAA’s independence behave less like leaders and more like Skirt Wardens, the self‑appointed male guardians policing women’s organisational space. Today’s “skirts,” embodied by Ruth Muka and her team, have redefined leadership, leaving TEYA’s patriarchal actors scrambling to reassert control.
So what is this derogatory slogan of men in skirts or Ruth in trousers stand for? This is a textbook patriarchal weaponization of femininity to shame men who stand with women. As mentioned above, if “skirt” means weakness, then the real weakness lies with the men trying to confiscate a women-led organisation because they fear its strength.
Call them what they are, “Skirt Wardens” men policing women’s political space because they cannot tolerate women leading without male supervision.
3 – “Integrating NCAA into TEYA empowers women.”
This narrative attempts to rebrand patriarchal consolidation as progress. Under Arok Dut’s leadership, NCAA reported through the Secretary for Gender, not as a subordinate, but as a collaborative partner. The relationship was functional, respectful, and non‑extractive.
The new amendment seeks to turn NCAA into a Karatuc, a pipe feeding into TEYA’s political reservoir. Integrating NCAA leadership into TEYA’s executive is not an upgrade but a strategic siphoning of women’s political capital. This is not empowerment but resource extraction strategy.
4 – To Payam Leaders and the Twic East General Assembly
Ruth Muka’s term is ending, and her leadership has elevated her beyond county politics. Her stance is not self‑serving but protective of your daughters’ political future.
NCAA is a safe, women‑centered, grassroots institution where girls can build confidence, leadership, and solidarity. It must not become a battleground for male ego or political experimentation.
Empowerment means safeguarding women’s autonomous spaces, not absorbing them into patriarchal structures.
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