Berekti Girmay
Women and Development in Africa
"You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation."
The focus is on women in African countries about their life, experience with abroad study and family life. By the readings I got I want to show what kind of personal and societal difficulties African women experience while seeking higher education and go abroad. It continues with Historical and social context of African women’s lives, African traditions and culture, purpose of the research with personal perspectives and “Gaining ourselves.” In this essay, I want to discuss the importance of using feminist narrative and life history methodology to study African women, the research process, and the interpretive framework used for the meaning of the women’s narratives.
There are some arguments on how western theoretical framework is not always inclusive no adequate in it for interpreting African women’s lives. There are a lot of factors and issues discussed in media or other information technology materials. For the rest of this paper I decided to take the main points that got my attention and that I think is important for me to discuss and talk about it.
The first topic I will analyze, which I found to be the major and most important since it is the main objective of my essay, is the tension between domesticity and education. Dr. Mwangi provides her belief of what domesticity refers to. “Domesticity encompasses motherhood as well as the familial context, relationships, and obligations that make up the lives of women. Domesticity, therefore, includes the dynamic interplay of roles and social structures in the lives of women and the choices they make.” (Mwangi P. 6). To me, domesticity is one of the major factors that come between women and their education. The belief that African women must be domestic has triggered the irrational idea that prevents society from accepting the fact that women can and are capable of leaving the home and receiving an education.
It is difficult to place myself in the position that these African women are in these incredible journey, because for some Africans who born in a land that values education to the utmost degree (like USA) does not necessarily prevent all women from pursuing their education. It is hard for them to imagine that such a world exists. In my January 18, 2011 Woman study class lecture, we discussed feminism. We described it was a lens through which we see the world and when we do look through the lens, we are able to see the experiences of women (critique patriarchy). I can use that “lens” to truly understand and see the experiences that African women face. “Lens” was the first word that took my attention and when I read the meaning, I can see myself relate to its meaning. Others see this as a way of finding or discovering themselves within African countries women. “If what we say frees us in some small way, then we will have achieved much more than merely recording history.” (Mwangi P. 23) I myself did not experience this but my mom has been through the same situation like some of women’s in Africa. My mom didn’t go to study for abroad even if she wanted it for long time but at least she have moved from the village to the capital city of Ethiopia for her higher education and seeing her success now and hearing her story about how she got here it makes me say “I can’t ask for more.”
My mom and dad lived in the same village and went to the same high school; my mom helped my grandmother sell drinks and food so that they have money for school. My mom never complained she loves school, so she worked hard with her sister and brother and went to school at the same time. At one time, my mom knew that she was going to marry my dad and my dad knew that too. When my Dad reached grade 8 middle schools he stopped school and started working to pay for my mom’s school. They both moved to the big city for my mom’s higher education, I always feel happy to know how supportive of my mom my dad was. She got her degree and he keeps working. After having five children later my mom still went to school for her second degree and my dad helped her with the tuition, he even let her stay in the dorms and come on weekends because the school was far from home and to let her studied. Even then, I was very proud of my dad. I have never heard him complain even once, and he never returned to school after that last middle class. My mom has a very nice job now because she got her masters even after having two degrees. My dad did not go back to school but he is very smart when it comes to business. Maybe my dad supported my mom but his families were not happy with it, he did not care about what they think so he guided my mom to success. My mom is one very smart woman that I know but I give half of the credit to my dad. This support also helped me and my siblings accomplish and helped us come abroad for higher education and led us in a nice path.
When Dr. Mwangi uses domesticity as an ideology, she is able to explain that women’s roles in many contexts are defined as reproductive rather than productive. (Mwangi P. 7). This means that women are perceived as having only one function and that function is in the home and the home is the place that defines them. This is what creates the problem for African societies with placing women who do function outside the home and ultimately labeling them “indefinable.” Domesticity is also used as a category of analysis. This allows women’s lives to examine in relation to social, cultural, economic, and political structures.
The social and historical issues that are raised regarding the function of African women, I begin by considering the problems African tradition and culture has created. Though all the countries of Africa are located on one continent, each country respectively has their own traditions and cultures. Therefore, African cultures are not homogeneous and we should refrain from combining them into one culture, because there is an issue with categorizing all women into a big category of “women.” When we do this, we are not seeing them as individuals or diversifying women around the world and we “believe” all women are experiencing the same thing. We fail to see the difference between first and third world women. Moreover, we have to look at each woman separately, including women of the third world. We need to be sure we do not place all African cultures, or all women of the world for that matter, because within cultures there are different responsibilities and values, whether they are good or bad.
There are many similarities between cultures and most African cultures define women in relation to reproductive roles. The book states, “…for a woman to put aside gendered cultural expectations and family responsibilities in favor of returning to school is not only antithetical to socially assigned roles, but women who do so are severely ostracized.”(Mwangi P.14). Women were not entirely dependent on their husbands and had some spatial freedom and economic independence. However, education for women was still not an issue that was encouraged by African traditions and cultures. As a result, the concept of domesticity and motherhood stood at the center.
To me, colonial influence had the most negative impact on women. It limited women’s spatial mobility and it took away their productive rights that dealt with their economic and political positions. It required women to do housework in a more “modern” stone house with cemented floor rather, than what they were used to and what was well suited for the daily life in Africa. The colonial concept also refused to acknowledge African traditions and therefore created more problems throughout Africa. The effects that colonialism has on Africa, One that sticks out very well in my mind is that because of colonial influence, women were forced to be much more dependent on men. This was expressed by one of the respondents in the book when she explained she had to get her husband’s consent to get a bank loan, even though she was earning more than he was. In addition, one needed her husband’s approval to even further her education. If he was against it, the matter was done and she would never be able to continue higher education. Fortunately, in this case, her husband was supportive. This was just one a couple ways that the influence of colonialism has had on African women.
Even now, in the post-colonial African society, the image of women as mothers and wives is still powerfully held. Women and girls are still not encouraged to pursue a higher education. “Presently, it is not uncommon to see girls being married off in their early teens or to see young girls dropping out of school to allow the family’s meager resources to be used to pay for a boy’s education. As a result, very few girls complete primary education. Girls continue to work alongside their mothers, engaging in domestic chores at the expense of education.” (Mwangi P. 17). This to me is heartbreaking to think about. Why should girls, for the sake of their brothers, have to give up their education and their chance of ever breaking away from socialization and gender roles? Why should girls have to give up their position in society for a boy? These questions are difficult to answer. Yet they may be even harder for African women to think about. Over time, they have been forced, through male domination and patriarchy, to ignore and forget about their future that has the potential to overflow with empowerment. This, among many various issues, leads to problems with the development in the Third World. We can turn to Anthony I. Akubue’s article titled, “Gender Disparity in Third World Technological” to find out illiteracy rates between men and women. In the article, he states, “Out of an estimated 840 million illiterate adults in the developing world, 538 million of them are women. The female illiteracy rate stands at about 39% in contrast with a male illiteracy rate of 21%. Women and girls tend to receive less education and training than men and boys in most Third World societies.” He goes on to describe several reasons why this is. Some of which include, sons are valued more than daughters, women’s absurd amount of responsibilities and workloads keep them from obtaining an education, the persistence of poverty, the concern for their daughter’s safety and vulnerability to be sent away to school, and finally “the impact of colonial perspectives on gender roles continues to influence gender educational opportunities.”
What I paid particular attention to while reading Dr. Mwangi’s book, are the steps that she has laid out that she believes will make up for the losses that women have suffered and help to gain ourselves. The first step is acknowledging and facing these losses and pain. In order to do this, we must tell and listen to the stories that women share about their experiences. This brings us to the next step, that women’s narratives will provide us a glimpse of what it means to be educated, progressive African women. The personal experiences of women are critical to listen to because in order to improve the development of the third world women’s voices need to be heard. Development has never taken into consideration the contributions as well as the stories of African women. Developmental plans have always been created by the male perspective and women are not involved in the planning.
We have to look for ways we can bring women into the development process. To begin, we need to look at the gender perspective and recognize the contributions that women have made instead of continuing to silence them. According to the video “Gender Matters,” recognizing the different members of the community will help you understand the gender perspective. The three roles needed to be considered that women have are the community level roles, (helping one another), productive roles (working on farms), and the reproductive roles (raising children). The life-history narrative approach has faith in the concept regarding women’s stories and requires their stories to be taken seriously.
I believe, by bringing women into the public sphere from the private sphere, we are able to see their contributions and recognize what women have done. The final step is creating social and shared consciousness. By creating this social awareness, an individual woman’s problem become shared with the rest of the women and, together is when we are able to see a world full of potential and possibilities. In Jeffery Sachs’ book titled, “The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time” he quotes Robert Kennedy’s powerful words regarding social forces. “It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.” When African women find that courage Robert Kennedy referred to, then together through social forces, they are able to stand up for their rights for higher education.
The stories of women’s experiences are vital to their futures and their dreams. It is time to break away from this world that has silenced the voices of women for centuries. Now is the time for women to come together and speak up. Speak about their lives, ambitions, dreams, successes, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, helplessness, and above all, their empowerment. One statement that stood out in Dr. Mwangi’s book is “The inability to tell one’s story, no matter what the circumstances, according to Buchi Emecheta, is a form of enslavement. She asserts that ‘the greatest type of slavery is…the enslavement of ideas’.” (Mwangi P. 38). This is such a powerful quote and I believe many people need to hear this. For those people who continue to silence women’s voices they need to listen to others. Slavery, in most parts of the world, is no longer accepted. So, why then should the silencing of women’s voices be accepted? I believe African women need to stand up and fight for their education (even though they should not have to fight for it in the first place). However, this is what African societies have put into perspective. For women to stand up and let all of Africa and the rest of the world know what is happening they are “making the unknown known.”
Actually, this idea would create so many opportunities and open numerous doors for the women of Africa and their access to education, not only in their own countries, but everywhere around the world. People will become aware and together will fight for a cause; a cause that is so great one could hardly imagine taking place. In addition, to help make the unknown known, we must focus our attention on the research of women. We must be able to distinguish and identify the different ways of researching women and be able to determine which strategies will get to the root of the problem. If this requires us to change our method of research so be it; it needs to be done. By doing so, it can help those women who live their lives day after day in poverty finally break free from the trap they have been captured and confined in for so long.
I would like to rap my idea with Bryan Adams’ song titled, “Here I Am” because to me it’s a powerful song that can very much relate to the women of Africa, their tensions they have experienced between domesticity and education, and now, their fight to overcome it. My interpretation of it will come from an African women’s point of view. She is starting out fresh, with no patriarchy or male domination standing in her way of pursuing an education or her dreams. The power to change the course of African women lives is present already in the younger generation and it just needs to be brought to the surface. Together, by letting the experiences of women known, we have created this “new plan” and begin executing, it in order to further the lives and education of women. For all of us, to join the strong bond of “shared consciousness.” With all of us stepping forward together, we can conquer so much but yet, this is only the start and we have the capability of making such a difference and changing the future for all African women. We have come such a long way and, we are still holding strong to our beliefs and what we will continue to fight for.
In conclusion, African women have experienced between domesticity and education, and now, their fight to overcome it. My interpretation of it will come from an African women’s point of view. She is starting out fresh, with no patriarchy or male domination standing in her way of pursuing an education or her dreams. The power to change the course of African women lives is present already in the younger generation and it just needs to be brought to the surface. Together, by letting the experiences of women known, we have created this “new plan” and begin executing, it in order to further the lives and education of women.
Bibliography
Adams, Bryan. "Here I Am." Rec. 11 June 2002. A&M, 2002. CD.
Akubue, Anthony I. "Gender Disparity in Third World Technological, Social, and Economic Development." The Journal of Technology Studies: 64-65.
"Faculty & Staff - Women's Studies." St. Cloud State University. 29 June 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.stcloudstate.edu/ws/staff.asp>.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. "Our Generation's Challenge." The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin, 2005. 368.
Mwangi, Mumbi (2009). We Will have Gained Ourselves, North Star Press, St Cloud.
Berekti Girmay
Outline for final paper
Women and Development in Africa
"You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation."
The focus is on women in African countries about their life, experience with abroad study and family life. By the readings I got I want to show what kind of personal and societal difficulties African women experience while seeking higher education and go abroad. It continues with Historical and social context of African women’s lives, African traditions and culture, purpose of the research with personal perspectives and “Gaining ourselves.”
There are some arguments on how western theoretical framework is not always inclusive no adequate in it for interpreting African women’s lives. There are a lot of factors and issues discussed in media or other information technology materials.
The first topic I will analyze, which I found to be the major and most important since it is the main objective of my essay, is the tension between domesticity and education. Dr. Mwangi provides her belief of what domesticity refers to. “Domesticity encompasses motherhood as well as the familial context, relationships, and obligations that make up the lives of women.
When Dr. Mwangi uses domesticity as an ideology, she is able to explain that women’s roles in many contexts are defined as reproductive rather than productive. (Mwangi P. 7). This means that women are perceived as having only one function and that function is in the home and the home is the place that defines them.
Domesticity is also used as a category of analysis. This allows women’s lives to examine in relation to social, cultural, economic, and political structures.
The social and historical issues that are raised regarding the function of African women, I begin by considering the problems African tradition and culture has created. Though all the countries of Africa are located on one continent, each country respectively has their own traditions and cultures.
Therefore, African cultures are not homogeneous and we should refrain from combining them into one culture, because there is an issue with categorizing all women into a big category of “women.”
There are many similarities between cultures and most African cultures define women in relation to reproductive roles. The book states, “…for a woman to put aside gendered cultural expectations and family responsibilities in favor of returning to school is not only antithetical to socially assigned roles, but women who do so are severely ostracized.”(Mwangi P.14).
colonial influence had the most negative impact on women. It limited women’s spatial mobility and it took away their productive rights that dealt with their economic and political positions.
Even now, in the post-colonial African society, the image of women as mothers and wives is still powerfully held. Women and girls are still not encouraged to pursue a higher education.
The stories of women’s experiences are vital to their futures and their dreams. It is time to break away from this world that has silenced the voices of women for centuries. Together, by letting the experiences of women known, we have created this “new plan” and begin executing, it in order to further the lives and education of women.
In conclusion, African women have experienced between domesticity and education, and now, their fight to overcome it. My interpretation of it will come from an African women’s point of view. She is starting out fresh, with no patriarchy or male domination standing in her way of pursuing an education or her dreams.
Bibliography
Adams, Bryan. "Here I Am." Rec. 11 June 2002. A&M, 2002. CD.
Akubue, Anthony I. "Gender Disparity in Third World Technological, Social, and Economic Development." The Journal of Technology Studies: 64-65.
"Faculty & Staff - Women's Studies." St. Cloud State University. 29 June 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.stcloudstate.edu/ws/staff.asp>.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. "Our Generation's Challenge." The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin, 2005. 368.
Mwangi, Mumbi (2009). We Will have Gained Ourselves, North Star Press, St Cloud
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