MENTALITY OF CONGOLESE WOMEN IN DIASPORA AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIETY
Keywords:
Women; Culture; Language; Marriage; Colonialism; Democratic Republic of Congo.Abstract
Women are societal developers for they are responsible for household management, which is a very important unit in the society. However, their roles in the society are often influenced by their geographical locations which play major roles in their psycho-social development. It has been observed that Congolese women in the diasporas, especially in Nigeria, are often passive, idle and dependent on their spouses’ income. This study was conducted to determine if the disposition of the Congolese women is based on laziness, language barrier or that their cultural background is the cause of their attitude to life. The study was both qualitative and quantitative research with a purposive oral interview among selected Congolese women living in Lagos State, Nigeria. Most of the women are not educated because their culture dictates that women should not be educated formally. Therefore, most Congolese women end up as housewives who depend solely on their husbands’ income. Their level of illiteracy also makes it difficult for them to learn the English language and integrate easily into the Nigerian society. The study recommends that the Congolese society should be re-orientated on the need for the girl-child and women to be educated, in order to be productive at the family and societal level.
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