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The housewives s
Culture & Society
Tarisai Maringire
Growing up Tatenda Mutasa
(28)* had a dream of becoming
an accountant and having a
family of her own.
Tatenda* enrolled at a local University
where she studied Accounts for four years.
While at the tertiary institution she met
the love of her life and everything seemed
to be what she had always wanted.
Her world went topsy-turvy one
day when her husband out of the
blue told her that she had to quit
her job and become a full time
housewife.
“When I met him he was
proud of everything I achieved,
he knew that I have always
loved my job. It was a big blow
to me. I didn’t expect that
from him since he saw
me hustle my way
through
college
to achieve my
c h i l d h o o d
dream
of
becoming
a
n
accountant,” said Tatenda.*
Many women have faced the same
predicament where husbands have forced
their spouses to resign from their jobs
to be full time housewives for various
reasons.
Men in favour of wives staying at
home say that it will give them ample
time for taking care of the kids without
divided attention.
A sentiment which is echoed by Gogo
Madzinga (60) who says
children who are raised
by their mothers
are
usually
well mannered
compared
to
those raised by
maids.
She says those
mothers have never
missed a milestone in
their children’s lives.
love and socialization. Families educate
children to be responsible adults and
better parents, so it’s critical for mothers
to be there all the way,” said Gogo
Madzinga.
However, others disagree with this
school of thought.
“You can nurture
your children and
still go t o
work. I have raised all my three kids this
mom who also works full-time.
Charity Nyoni, a working mother, notes
that, “One of the aspects of mothering
that’s terribly important is making sure
that you can provide for your children
She added that women should work to
be prepared for unforeseen circumstances
like husband’s unemployment, a divorce
or illness.
The current tough economic conditions
have seen families headed by one parent
struggling to make ends meet. So many
stories have been heard on how families
struggle to survive after the working
spouse has been retrenched or dies.
Roselyne Muchenje* said she learned
the hard way after divorcing her husband
of two years because of irreconcilable
differences. She now faces life as a jobless
single mother and seeks maintenance
from her former husband.
“Whatever path you decide is best for
you and your family, one thing is certain
of that decision as you leave your paid
work,” she advised.
Mr Manenji said he stopped his wife
from going to work after discovering that
her boss was always soliciting for sexual
favours from employees.
Psychologists argue that all this is
caused by mistrust in a relationship
rather than anything else.
Other women have pointed out to the
envy that comes from husbands whose
wives earn more than what they earn.
“I’m the main breadwinner in our
house and there are times when my
husband doesn’t like it. We have
arguments and he always threatens
that he will make me quit my job,” said
a lady who preferred anonymity.
Page 46 The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine
August 2014