Shona Women under Patriarchy: From Feminism to African Womanism

Radical Western Feminism advocates building separate relationships independent of men. Thus in Western feminist principles, marriages and motherhood are seen as forms of exploitation. The result has been more divorces and a heightened number of kids on the streets. African women, faced with bread and butter issues, such as inadequate water and food securities, inadequate healthy systems, inadequate jobs, early mortality rates, AIDS/HIV, and abusive political practices, however, have to forge healthier relationships with their men. Radical Western feminism; hence, has been labeled a foreign import, unsuitable for gender mainstreaming in the African context. This discussion, noting the failures of feminist approaches argues for the need to explore approaches that promote complementarity roles between men and women instead of competition. This discussion thus proposes engaging the African Womanist theory, which according to Hudson –Weeds, places mothers as leaders while advocating for gender reciprocity, truth, balance, and justice as pathways to achieving gender equity.