Thomas Quarco
8 August 2008
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Politics in the household vary from society to society. Politics in the household, in other words, authority pattern in the household has a number of players ranging from the father of the household in question to the children. The father, normally regarded as the head is a key player when we talk of authority patterns in both industrial and traditional societies.
Culture and religion are strong determinants of gender relations because they play crucial roles in gender socialisation and construction.
A contemporary example is violence against women, which is culturally entrenched in some communities in Ghana. It is prevalent in girls'/women's natal home, conjugal home and at community level. The institution of dowry is one key precipitating factor.
In Africa, we have cultures and religious practices, which make it difficult to respond to the call for gender mainstreaming.
These cultures include initiation rites, patri-focality, and payment of bride wealth among others. The scenario in Ghana as in other parts of Africa, in terms of gender mainstreaming still leaves much to be desired.
In the traditional household set-up, the father who most of the time is the breadwinner assumes total authority with the wife performing a subservient role. Instructions issued by the father are obeyed without question and the survival of the wife and children depends upon the continuous recognition for the father.
The fact that democracy has no place in such households cannot be overemphasised. Authority for the father is further buttressed by patrilineal families found in some societies in the northern parts of Ghana, and some parts of Volta Region, where inheritance is through the father.
Even in some parts of the country, proceeds from a wife's work are given to the husband to spend as he wishes.
Household labour in traditional society is based on division of labour with the wife normally spending most of her time in the kitchen and performing other household chores.
Exploitation of the wife and children by the father is commonplace as he has his wife and children working without being paid and nobody dare question.
It cannot also be disputed that by vesting final authority in the father, he may choose working to provide funds for the sustenance of the family and leave the rest of the work to the wife and children. Even in some cases, the father does not work at all.
It is against this background that a renowned American Sociologist Randall Collins likened the exploitation by the father in the household labour to exploitation of labour by owners of the factors of production in the capitalist economies. The politics of gender and virginity usually give fathers much power to control the household. In fact, in the traditional society, even if the pitch of a wife's voice exceeds a certain level, when speaking to the husband, it is interpreted to be a rebellion or disrespect for the husband.
This therefore attracts the wrath of the husband and the society who will stop at nothing to punish the woman. The punishment under such circumstance takes the form of wife-bashing or ostracism by the society. Also, in most societies, polygamous husbands are tolerated with polyandry being frowned upon.
It is even unthinkable for a society to allow the practice of polyandry in the country. Female circumcision, perceived by perpetrators to ensure chastity, is another injustice meted out to females.
In the industrial societies and also societies in the urban enclaves, however, most fathers do not wield absolute power but the male dominion is still found. Where the father is the breadwinner, he exercises control over the household to some extent but not absolute as is found in traditional societies.
The father may have even less authority where both the husband and the spouse are professionals, and in such instances authority is a shared responsibility.
One thing that allows the father to play domineering role in the household is religion. The Christian, Islamic and Traditional African religious principles grant more authority to the father who is seen as the head of the family. The religious factor cuts across all societies and adherents of such faiths follow such principles. With this, ascribed status of the woman is not considered, so if a queen marries a hunter, she must be submissive to the husband. Some religions even go to the extent mutilating the genitals of females to ensure chastity.
It is an undeniable fact that the father still assumes total control of the household in many ways. This is because representations of men in relation to women portray men as figures women struggle with, fear, resist or resent and are rarely seen as sons, lovers, husbands, fathers with whom they have shared interests and concerns.
The purpose of gender mainstreaming is the empowerment of men and women with the ultimate goal of gender equity. If this empowerment is to be sustained, it must be complemented by a change in both men and women. This means paying attention also to male and female gender interests and needs, which are rooted in respective cultures and religions. There is the need to facilitate thinking about gender relations without necessarily making men secondary or peripheral to the analysis. Changing gender roles and relations are good not simply for women; they benefit men, families and communities and would create significant inter-generational benefits.
Formulating and implementing gender policies, lobbying and advocacy on gender issues by civil society organizations and formation of networks for dealing with specific gender-based forms of poverty focusing on both genders like early pregnancies for girls, truancy for boys, sexual violence against both men and women among others are some measures that could be adopted to pursue the issue of gender mainstreaming and reduce to the barest minimum the male dominance in the society.
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