The Role of Women in the Socio-economic Development of Nigeria as in the Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
The research entails the role played by women in the text The Joys of Motherhood written by Buchi Emecheta.The purpose however is to critically analyze the texts i.e. examine the feminist issues, in the texts that aligns with the contribution of women to Nigeria and to know how Buchi Emecheta use the Female character in the novel to portray how women confront the challenges mated on them by the male, in the male domineering society.
Another purpose is to appraise the Nigerian women for their contribution towards the socio-economic growth of Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
A REVIEW OF FEMINIST THEORY
Feminist theory emerged from feminist movement and include general theories and theories and about the inequality and in some case, about the social construction of sex and gender in a variety of discipline.
The origin of Feminism started from the western world where women started advocating for their rights and survival. This promoted a lot of Female writers across the continent to base their writings on issues pertaining to the rights of women in the society. Feminism began in the Europe in the late 18th century during the struggle for women’s right.
The concept and movement of Feminism has been defined by many Scholars, critics and philosophers. Here is some definitions of feminist. Foss et al (1995:2) opines that Feminism is
The process of eliminating the oppression of all the people
Who have been marginalized by the dominant culture. A c
Voice grain to the individual marginalized and devalued
By the dominant culture and this provided a more histo-
ric understanding of the.
Joseph (2003:161) believes Feminism as
A world ideological and political movement directed at
Changing the existing power relations between Men and
Women in a patriarchal society.
Juliet Mitchell (1988:426) on her own contribution has this to say:
…study of women as writers and its subjects are the hi
story, styles, themes, genres and structures of writing b
women, the tractorny of female creativity…
We can deduce from the extract that Mitchell is concern about Female imagination creativity. She tries to pose another trend in Feminism. Her own ideal is based on the fact that Feminism deals with female creativity. Their ability to contribute their quotas to literature and not leave the field of Literature to the male to dominate.
Feminism is defined in the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (1962) as “The movement for recognition of women’s right, legally and politically equal to those possessed by Men”.
It can also be defined as the advocation of Women to dispute gender discrimination and unequal rivalry among the men, which tailored towards the survival of women in the society. It is an ideology that lays emphasis on the rights of women in the society. It is an ideology that lays emphasis on the rights of women in the society, which cuts across the political, social and Economic aspect of the society.
Feminism in general can be referred to as the movement aimed at establishing and defending equal political opportunities for women. Its concept overlaps with those of women’s rights. Some people argue that gender, like sex is constructions that harm all people. Feminism thus seeks to liberate men as well as women Feminists persons of either sex.
Feminism started to gain full ground in African Literature in the early 1960s.African female and Feminist intellectuals had written and published their writing as early as the late nineteenth Century as in the Case of Sierra Leonean poet and memoirist Adelaide Smith, Casely Hayford and the noted South African activist and Novelist, Olive Schreiner. From the late Twentieths century there has been a tremendous increase in the publication of Scholarly work on Africanist post colonial and feminist theory.
CHAPTER THREE
THE FEMINIST ROLE IN PLOT CONSTRUCTION OF EMECHETA’S THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD
The Joys of Motherhood treats the socio-cultural and economic challenges that Nigerian women faces in an urban setting. It exposes the obstacle a woman goes through when she is unable to bear children in Marriage.
The Joys of Motherhood is the story of a young Ibo woman who dreams of living a traditional life as a mother of many children. Instead she spends her life in Lagos, Nigeria, watching as traditional values are eroded and destroyed by western influence. The hope she puts in having many children turns out to be misplaced and her entire life is simply a struggle for survival with no reward in old age.
The story is based on the background of the second world war. During the period of early colonization period in Nigeria. Published in 1979, The Joys of Motherhood is Buchi Emecheta’s fifth novel and one of her most popular. It is the third book Emecheta wrote about the role of women in Nigerian society.
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Women constitute more than half of the world’s population and have contributed significantly to the well being of the human race. In Nigeria women have played roles as Mothers, Home makers, producer, social and political activists and community leaders.
This research work has been able to examine how feminist ideology in African literature has ascertained the need to give women room to display their given talents and they have done this through writing. This work studies the movement of women for emancipation in the male dominated society.
This research work has unveiled how women writing have corrected the disparaged image of women in a male domineering society.
The work of Buchi Emecheta provide the required dimension, to the intellectual understanding of the feminist ideology in Africa. Emecheta’s focus is on the emancipation and freedom of women from the shackles of men in the society. The desire to see the women as having the same right as male counterparts and also possessing a strong will to survive and proffer solution to problems affecting their societies is also part of the focus of Emecheta.
Emecheta in her own capacity has tried to create a socially and independent heroine in her novels. In a bid to support motherhood she approached the matter in a less aggressive stand, according to the portrayed event in The Joys of Motherhood. She has been able to traced women constraints to that of her cultural belief. It can therefore be said that feminism is not only among the educated women but also among the rural and unlettered women.
There is no doubt that Nigerian women and women all over the world are aware of their disadvantaged and want a change for the better and female writers are in no small measure assisting to boost the image of women both politically, socially and economically. Nigerian women have shown great interest in the struggle for justice to correct the social ills that pervade our society today.
Conclusively, this research work will enhance the participation of women in the struggle for change and uplift their virtue of good will, so as to avoid being pushed to the lowest ebb in the society. It will also help in uplifting the status of women in Africa for a better change.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Banks Oliver, (1986). Becoming a Feminist: The Second Origin of First Wave Feminism. Great Britain: Wheat Sheaf Books, Ltd.
- Buchi, E. (1979). The joys of motherhood. Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) Ltd:Ibadan.
- Chikwenye, O. (1998). Women and Nigerian literature. In Yemi Ogunbiyi,(ed), Perspective on Nigerian literature: A Guardian Books :Lagos. p 65
- Carole, B. (1986) “Introduction : feminist consciousness and the African literary criticism” In (ed.) C. Davies and A. Caraves, Ngambika: studies of women on African literature. Trinitron: African World Press.
- Delman, R. (1986) “What is feminism?” Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.