by Evaristus C. Fonkah, Cameroon, March 1997
THEME = WOMEN
In the days of our forefathers, a woman was always at home, only going out either to the farm, (a major role in her duties), or to fetch water when her children weren't old enough to help her. Her husband, meanwhile, was mainly occupied with hunting. This provided much sought-after meat for the home. And in the evenings, he would share a cup of palm wine with friends, sitting around a warm fire in the village square.
Today, the average Cameroonian male still holds to some of these ideas, but women have changed. A Cameroonian woman wants to go out to work like her sisters in other parts of the world. And she wants to hold on to her job even after having had children. A conflict sets in here, with the man jealously holding on to his authoritarian past. Life thus becomes difficult for the modern Cameroonian woman.
She is prepared to do just about anything. Unlike in the past, many women in Cameroon nowadays, are highly educated and can hold their own in most situations. They leave school with bright ideas and high hopes, and are ready to put up a good fight to put their education into practice. They want to help in nation-building.
There's more chance for highly qualified professional women such as lawyers, doctors and administrators. With their training, they can get into the government service. Those who aren't so lucky (and that means most women), have to aim towards becoming secretaries, receptionists, teachers, nurses and the pay is not very high, approximately 160 US dollars per month.
2) Children. When a woman starts having children, she is
torn between going to work or staying at home to take of the
children. She must either stay at home or pay for a baby sitter,
and that costs money - possibly half her salary.
3) Lack of suitable day-care centres. A working mother
could make use a of day-care centre for her children, but the
number of existing day care centres can never cater for current
demands. The services they render too, are of such poor quality
that they are of service neither to mother or child.
All this means that the average working Cameroonian woman frequently spends more than she earns and she needs her husband's help to make ends meet from one payday to the other. And then things go from bad to worse. A once indulgent husband begins to frown and eventually things turn sour. He forgets that the money brought in by his wife, however small, always alleviates some pressing burden. He takes one look at her and all he sees is a woman who does not stay where she belongs. Back from work, he sits in the living room, puts his feet up and alternates between reading his paper and ranting that the children are not being cared for. Meanwhile, his wife is trying to prepare dinner, check that the children have clean clothes for school tomorrow, and help them with their homework.
Ask some of these men why they are so adamant about not letting their wives work, many will tell you that the woman was meant to stay at home and look after the family, bring up the children, and see that the house is in good order. Others may say that when the woman works, she takes on an "independent attitude".
It would seem that Cameroon's menfolk have still a great deal to learn.
END