TOPIC: PERSONALISED LEARNING PROJECT

REFLECTIVE PAPER

GENDER IMBALANCE AND WOMEN’S STRUGGLE IN

THE GAMBIA

INTRODUCTON:

Transformative learning is about being in control of your own learning and

responsible for every step in the process, this is a reality I had to learn in choosing

‘personalized learning’ for this assignment. In this paper I will give a summary of my

journey leading to my chosen concept of gender imbalance and women’s struggle in

the Gambia.

My choice was my mother Marian, who died about 2 years ago. The first four steps in

this learning methodology led me through an incredible emotional journey as her first

born and a significant part of her life. In describing her, I could see her physical

beauty, her dignity as well as her immense selfless efforts to bring up her family. The

result of her love, encouragement and reprimand was a group of strong, industrious

children.

This journey has also led me to ask questions as to who she was and what made her to

become such a woman: persistent, hard working, devoted and enduring in the face of

suffering, a source of inspiration. This first part of my learning journey has led me to

live the concept of ‘sensing and presencing’ Scharmer, (2004) to focus on the issue of

gender imbalance and women’ struggle in the Gambia.

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CONTEXT: What is the picture of the situation of women

in the Gambia?

The Gambia being the smallest country in Africa with a population of 1.4 million and

a landscape of 10,000km square is land locked with Senegal except for the mouth of

its river which opens to the Atlantic Ocean. The country is ranked as the 148th of the

162nd poorest counties in the world according to UNDP’s (2001) National Human

Development Index. It is therefore not surprising that 64% of the population live

below the poverty line. According to the same source the global human development

index in the Gambia is 0.350 but that of women is 0.277; a sign of great inequality in

accessing financial and material resources between male and female.

Culture - a means of oppression?

Prevalent in most if not all African cultures is the low status of women in the homes

and in society, where the woman is seen as a reproductive and voiceless agent

according to The Gambia National population Commission ( 1998), she is reduced to

child bearing and domestic activities. In the Gambian culture of male dominance, the

boy child is preferred to the girl as he seen to continue the family name of the father.

This is very evident in the family work structure where the male hardly does any work

and in most traditional homes the boy’s work mostly involves being sent on errands

and in the rainy season help in the farm. On the other hand, the girl is over-worked;

cleaning, washing cooking and taking care of the younger ones. This was evident in

my home even where we lived in the urban area. How does society expect them to

compete with the boys in education with so much evidence of gender imbalance in the

home?

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When meagre financial resources cannot afford to educate all the children in the

family the female children’s education would be sacrificed. The choice of male over

female is one aspect of cultural discrimination that I experienced in my family when

my father’s business was not working; he wanted to remove the girls from school and

educate his only son. Fortunately for us mum disagreed strongly and worked even

harder to take up the responsibility of our education, what a blessing.

Gender discrimination through violence:

The report from the research by FIDH (International Federation of Human Rights)

highlighted that there is evidence of violence against women in The Gambia in the

forms of early forced marriage, domestic violence, sexual harassment as well as

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) In his research, Ahn (2006) quoting Kalichman

stated that,

‘women and men in sub- Saharan Africa both appear to subscribe to the belief that

both women and men should fulfil the stereotypical role of being docile and passive

especially in sexual relationships’.

Domestic violence in its different forms is very present in many Gambian homes.

Women succumb to beatings, kicks, threats and as the National Population policy

(1998) states; power is highly invested on men. Women have little or no voice and

society expects them to be docile and obey their husbands. When men decide to enter

polygamous relationships the wives have little or no means of leaving the spousal

homes because of social norms and values, a point brought up by Jewkes (2003), that

the issue of a woman staying single is looked down on in the African society forcing

them to stay in their marriages and suffer rather than leave. Most women in The

Gambia are bound by these norms – like my mother even when she was threatened

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and beaten, she stayed and when dad asked her out she took the chance and decided

never to return as her life was at risk. Her struggle for me represented and highlighted

women’s struggle and resilience of her generation in the Gambia.

Female Genital Mutilation, a distinct cultural practice among certain tribes is another

form of female violence inflicted by the females themselves. FIDH (2006) reported of

its prevalence within the Mandingoes 100%, Sarakoles 95%, Fulas 90%, Jolas 65-

70% and not known in the Christian population. One must note that the forces behind

this practice are the men as in those tribes; uncircumcised women find it hard to find

husbands.

Can religion be used as means of discrimination?

Religion which should be the support and solace for those who suffer is used as a tool

of suppression in the Gambia, Africa and the most parts of the world.

Gender-based religious discrimination is denied especially in Islam with the defence

that what is asked is according to the Muslim law thus reducing women to objects

used to men’s own selfish means. Asserting this is the NPP (1998) report affirming

that religious and cultural laws prevent steps being taken to stop certain practices. In

the FIDH (2005) findings it divulged that the ‘Sharia law’ guiding the three ‘Quadi’

courts in The Gambia for matters concerning the family; women are being

discriminated against. This is done through polygamy, divorce at the instigation of

the husband, inequality with regards to inheritance and the inferiority of the woman in

many areas such women being witnesses in court, stating that the witness of two

women is equal to that of one man. The worse is the situation where widows form part

of her husband’s possession to inherit, the Christian religion is not any better as the

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husband can distribute his wealth in a Will before he dies at times leaving the wife

with little or nothing.

What then is government’s position in relation to women’s

struggle and empowerment?

The change in status of the women in The Gambia is an important matter that

government is aware of yet needs to make concrete moves if sustainable development

is to be achieved, through equal access to the same facilities as their male counterparts

NPP (National population Policy) (1998 Revised). The only significant move to

alleviate gender based discrimination is in the education sector where families are

encouraged to educate the girl child and make funds available for them to go to

secondary school. This effort is defeated in real life and family situations, the family

division of labour does not favour the girls who have to do the domestic chores thus

not having enough time to do assignments and study. At night many of them are too

exhausted to do anything but sleep; this could account for their low performance.

Even amongst the few whom makes it to the high school level, girls still achieve less

than boys.

The National Population Policy (1998) also acknowledges the evidence of resistance

on the side of men in the struggle of women to achieve equality status. Commissions

such as Women’s Bureau and National Women’s Council as well as documents from

the National Policy for Advancement of Gambian Women will continue to be null and

void if government does not become precise and enact what it states so as not to

continue unproductive cultural and religious laws. Women group as listed above

advocates to ease the lives of women yet their protection and equal productivity have

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had very little impact because government is very lethargic in its passion to oppose

cultural or religious norms and values even where these are violating human rights.

An example of this is the law to sue and bring to court anyone court executing FGM,

yet to date ‘no sentence has ever been passed against perpetrators’ FIDH (2005).

Steps to create gender balance and women empowerment

Jewkes (2003) expressed that only education at higher levels can equip women to

make better options and opportunities. Higher education and professional training

makes available better job opportunities, higher wages and better standards of living

for women and their families. She also noted that for government to achieve its goal

in educating women it must also make available structures that would be favourable

for working women through social and economic environments. Both the Education

Policy (2004) and Basic Education Support for Poverty Reduction (2004) expresses

placing strategies in place to favour the education of the girls and to fund projects for

girls education through Upper Basic and High School. This shows the government

effort in struggling to fight gender imbalance.

Another move is through women’s organisations such as National Council for Women

and Women’s Bureau putting forward to the National Assembly – the document on

National Policy for the Advancement of Women, which was approved in 1999. The

Foundation for Research on Women’s Health, Productivity and Environment –

BAFROW are very much active in sensitizing and advocating a stop on FGM, they

meet with people at the grassroots level and conduct media programmes trying to

educate viewers and listeners on the health as well as its social hazards.

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Conclusions:

At this stage it would be eminent to say that women have the will to make a difference

in their lives, beyond the many obstacles they face most of them are capable of

creating work for themselves striving to improve their lot and that of their children.

They have to start changing gender-based roles in the home and give themselves a

voice in order to change the culture and society at large. Throughout her struggle,

mum knew that she was not alone, but she rose above her sufferings and trials because

of her faith, her belief that her effort would not be in vain; that in taking care of her

children they would not undergo the same troubles as she went through. Investing in

our education, she saw the fruits of her labour; education made each of her children

independent, a key element to empower a person and not be rendered submissive and

a slave to culture.

Government will have to take concrete and rigorous steps in policies it has approved

of concerning gender imbalance, women’s rights in being equal partners in education,

health, work force and other aspects of the public sector. Women’s groups can play a

great role in sensitising women and men in working as partners and not as rivals, this

could include the need to remove the structures in the home that perpetuate the

unequal distribution of responsibilities in the home and the work place that does not

favour the woman. Women could be led to stand for what they believe in - like my

mother and other strong women – and make their voices heard in having equal

treatment and opportunities as their male counterparts for they are partners not rivals.

References:

Ahn, E, Y, (1999) The Gender Power Differential: It’s Role in HIV and Intimate

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Partner Violence Among Women in Sub- Saharan Africa, BA, University of
Pittsburgh.

Bessis, S, (2005) Note on the Situation of Women in The Gambia, International

Federation of Human Rights.

Basic Education Support for Poverty Reduction (2004) Department of State for
Education, The Gambia.

Jewkes, R, K, Levin, J, B, Penn-Kekana, L, A, (2003) Gender Inequalities, Intimate

Partner Violence and HIV Preventive Practices: Findings of South African Cross-
Sectional Study, Social Science and Medicine Vol. 56, Issue No 1, January 2003.

National Population Commission Secretariat, Office of the President, State House.

The Gambia National Population Policy (Revised) 1998

Scharmer, O, (2004) Theory U; Leading Profound Innovation and Change by

Presencing Emerging Futures. Draft 2004

Women’s Anti- Discrimination Committee Urges Gambia to Revive Discriminatory

Based Laws of Religious and Cultural Practices. United Nation’s Information
Service New York 2006