The Significance of the Problem
While in some countries, women play on an equal footing with men in almost all spheres of life, in dozens of others, girls remain not only dependent on the will of men but systematically continue to be subjected to humiliation, gender discrimination, and sexual violence. At the time, experts from the American Journal of Public Health estimated that 48 women and young girls were sexually abused hourly (Maas et al. 838). In Mali, one of the poorest countries in Africa, few girls escape the long-standing practice of female circumcision (Proudman 9).
In addition to physical abuse, there is the standard set of forced marriages (many local girls become wives at an age when they should still be playing dolls) and death in childbirth. African Muslim women are abused in marriage but cannot avoid it because society will condemn them if they divorce. Modern society, without fail, must move away from prejudice and finally recognize that all people are equal, regardless of gender.
Source Analysis
The first literary work I can relate to the problem of violence in marriage is Mariama Ba’s book So Long a Letter. Mariama Ba (1929-1981) was a Senegalese writer and feminist born into a wealthy Senegalese family (Maxwell 1). “So Long a Letter” is a semi-autobiographical epistolary novel. Recently widowed, Ramotoulaye writes a letter to her longtime friend. Even four years before her death, her husband took a second wife and estranged her. The second wife was his eldest daughter’s girlfriend and her age.
Moreover, Ramotoulaye’s friend, Aissatou, to whom she writes, once refused to live in a polygamous relationship (Bâ2). She divorced her husband when he brought his second wife and left for the United States with her four sons. This story is an example of how strong a woman can be. The main character gave birth to 12 children, endured a polygamous relationship, and eventually was able to leave to live an extraordinary life, ignoring the condemnation of society. This is why people must avoid believing that women are the weaker sex.
Factors such as the inability to fulfill themselves in life, the constant financial dependence on men, and the fear of judgment affect their lives. Women should be able to conduct themselves and live the life they want. Modern society should not condemn girls for leaving their husbands but rather blame men for allowing them to raise their hands against the keepers of the home. The consequence may be that if girls tolerate such treatment, society will be unable to rid itself of prejudice, inequality, and the following problems.
Women must fight against this system and show that they deserve a happy life and a healthy marriage where they will be respected and loved. According to recent research, “cultural and economic factors contribute to the prevalence and persistence of intimate partner violence in Africa” (Takyi and Lamptey 25). Thus, changes in countries’ economies and overall development are necessary to eradicate emotional and physical violence.
Thus, based on their arguments, society must necessarily recognize that all people are equal. Gender inequality must be eradicated because modern society has no place for gender-based oppression and violence. Women must fight for their rights, against social condemnation, and do everything to ensure that future generations do not face such phenomena. Modern culture must abandon the old prejudices and give everyone an equal chance for a happy life and self-fulfillment.
Works Cited
Bâ, Mariama. So long a letter. Waveland Press, 2012.
Maas, Megan K., Bethany C. Bray, and Jennie G. Noll. “Online sexual experiences predict subsequent sexual health and victimization outcomes among female adolescents: A latent class analysis.” Journal of youth and adolescence 48 (2019): 837-849. Web.
Maxwell, Ugwanyi Dele. “Literacy, Literature and Gender Conflict: A Reading of Ola Rotimi’ s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again and Tracie Chima Utoh’ s Our Wives Have Gone Mad Again.” International Journal of Innovative Research and Development 9.2 (2020).
Proudman, Charlotte. Female Genital Mutilation: When Culture and Law Clash. Oxford University Press, 2022.
Takyi, Baffour K., and Enoch Lamptey. “Faith and marital violence in Sub-Saharan Africa: exploring the links between religious affiliation and intimate partner violence among women in Ghana.” Journal ofinterpersonal violence 35.1-2 (2020): 25-52. Web.