The Impact of women oppression on the societal destruction. A case study of Chinua Achebe’s "Things Fall Apart"

Academic Paper , 2014 , 76 Pages

Sociology - Relationships and Family

The research’s concern here is on women oppression in the Igbo society and with its impact on the societal destruction. When carrying the research, the forms of women oppression were investigated in this Achebe’s Things Fall Apart whereby inequality, inheritance deprivation for female gender, women beating and other abuses against femininity were mainly based on in this research to investigate the reasons of Igbo societal destruction. Okonkwo who ruled his wives and children with a heavy hand was both a woman hater and oppressor. Hence, this behavior and belief have to be searched on for the purpose of finding out how it might lead his society to get destroyed.

This research bears the following objectives: To identify the forms of oppression in Things Fall Apart, to examine in which ways the society gets destroyed due to women oppression and to emphasize what women can do so as to get equal chances to their counterparts. Referring to the objectives mentioned above, the researcher wanted to answer these questions: the first question was how has the Igbo society demonstrated the forms of women oppression in „Things Fall Apart?“ The forms of oppression were based on women beating, deprivation of inheritance for female gender and different abuse against women. The second one is, where did the society get destroyed in the Igbo society in „Things Fall Apart?“ It is identified that women role is limited to households and children bearing not in economic and political whereby the women are not able to possess anything like men. The third is how the women oppression contributed to the societal destruction?

The protagonist of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, a woman hater and oppressor led his society to destruction whereby his son Nwoye abused by him to behave like women became one of the people who got converted into Christianity unlike traditional and other hatred and violence against the femininity contributed much to the society destruction. The findings identified that the Igbo society practiced different women oppression such as inequality, lack of inheritance for girls’ children, and women beating. It was also noticed here that women were socially and economically undermined by men through their patriarchal culture and society. The violence against the femininity pushed Okonkwo to hung himself so that he could not be called a weak or woman for handing himself in white men’s hands after killing the white man messenger.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• DEDICATION
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• CHAPTER ONE
  • INTRODUCTION
  • General Introduction
  • 1.1. Introduction to the study
  • 1.2. Background to the study
  • 1.3. Statement of the problem
  • 1.5. Definition of terms
  • 1.6. Purpose of the study
  • 1.7. Objectives of the study
    • 1.7.1. General objective
  • 1.8. Research questions
  • 1.9. Significance of the Study
• CHAPTER TWO
  • REVIEW OF LITERATURE
  • 2.1. Introduction
  • 2.2. Ibo's Society
  • 2.3. Oppression
  • 2.4. Women
  • 2.5. Women oppression
  • 2.6. Forms of women oppression
    • 2.6.1. Patriarchy
    • 2.6.2. The plight of women in Igbo society
    • 2.6.3. Gender-based discrimination
    • 2.6.4. Inequality
    • 2.6.5. Violence against women
  • 2.7. Gender
    • 2.7.1. Gender difference in Igbo society.
    • 2.7.2. Gender sensitivity in traditional Igbo society according to Achebe.
    • 2.7.3. Gender education
    • 2.7.4. Gendering the Economy.
• CHAPTER THREE
  • RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
  • 3.1. Introduction
  • 3.2. Research Design
  • 3.3. Data sources
  • 3.4. Data collection
• CHAPTER FOUR
  • PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
  • 4.1. Analysis of women oppression in Igbo society
  • 4.2. Forms of women oppression in Igbo society
    • 4.2.1. The relationship between men and women in Igbo society.
    • 4.2.2. Women beating in Igbo society
    • 4.2.3. Women marginalization in Igbo society.
    • 4.2.4. Patriarchal Igbo society
    • 4.2.5. Women mistreatment in Igbo society.
  • 4.3. Ways Igbo society gets destroyed
    • 4.3.1. Male dominance and women suppression.
    • 4.3.2. Undermining women's rights
    • 4.3.3. The effects of conflict between Okonkwo and his son, Nwoye
    • 4.3.4. Violence against women in the special days
  • 4.4. The Women of Umuofia and the Women of Today
  • 4.5. Limited Role of women in the ancient Igbo society
  • 4.6. Igbo society under white men's occupation due to Okonkwo's brutality and death
• CHAPTER FIVE
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
  • 5.1. Introduction
  • 5.2. Summary of findings
  • 5.3. Conclusion
  • 5.4. Recommendations based on research findings
  • 5.5. Recommendations for further research
• REFERENCES

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The dissertation seeks to explore the role and position of women in traditional Igbo society, specifically focusing on the forms of oppression they face. The work aims to analyze the complex dynamics of gender relations within Igbo society and assess the impact of these dynamics on women's lives.

• Women oppression in Igbo society
• Forms of oppression faced by women in Igbo society
• Impact of male dominance and patriarchal structures on women's rights
• The role of gender sensitivity and education in addressing women's oppression
• The influence of colonialism and traditional practices on gender dynamics in Igbo society

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 introduces the study, providing background information on the context and purpose of the research. It outlines the problem statement, research questions, and significance of the study. Chapter 2 delves into a review of relevant literature, examining existing research on Igbo society, oppression, women's experiences, and gender dynamics. It explores key concepts like patriarchy, gender-based discrimination, and violence against women in the context of Igbo society. Chapter 3 presents the research methodology employed in the study, outlining the design, data sources, and data collection methods. Chapter 4 presents, analyzes, and discusses the findings of the research, exploring the relationship between men and women in Igbo society, examining the various forms of women oppression, and analyzing the impact of these dynamics on the society as a whole. The chapter also explores the limited role of women in traditional Igbo society and the influence of colonialism on gender dynamics.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The dissertation focuses on key topics such as women's oppression, gender dynamics, patriarchal structures, Igbo society, colonialism, gender sensitivity, and gender education. It draws on existing research and analyses the impact of these factors on the lives of women in Igbo society, exploring the complexities of gender relations and their implications for social structures and women's empowerment.

• Author: Jean Damascene Ngendahayo (Author)
• Publication Year: 2014
• Pages: 76
• Catalog Number: V412367
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668637092
• ISBN (Book): 9783668637108
• Language: English
• Tags: impact, women, oppression, Chinua, Chebe, Things fall Apart, Destruction