The Effects of Women’s
Triple Role on the Performance of the Children
Department: Gender Studies
No of Pages: 61
Project Code: GS7
References: Yes
Cost: 5,000XAF Cameroonian
: $15 for International students
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.2. Background to the
Study
According
to the International Training centre, Module on Gender, Poverty and Employment
(2008), the concept of ‘gender roles’ refers to the activities ascribed to
women and men on the basis of their perceived differences.
Gender
roles are socially determined, they change over time and space and they are
influenced by social, cultural, and environmental factors that characterize a
society, community or historical period. These roles are accepted as ‘natural’
and internalized by girls and boys from a very early age, through the gender
models they learn through their social environment.
In
most societies, individuals are strongly pressured to abide by such models, not
only directly by the family or the community, but also indirectly by the role
models underlying the social fabric-the labour market, public policy, the taxation
system etc, which often act as deterrents to social change.
In
this line of thought, both women and men perform multiple roles in their lives,
in the productive domain-which includes activities related to the production of
goods for consumption or trade and income generating activities and in the
reproductive domain-which includes tasks and activities relating to the
creation and sustaining of the family and the household.
Typically,
women in low income countries undertake a “triple role” in the society, that is
reproductive, productive and community roles.
Reproductive roles include; childbearing / rearing responsibilities and
domestic tasks undertaken mostly by women, including the care and maintenance
of the workforce (husband and working children) and the future workforce
(infants and school-going children) Moser (1995).
In
this light, Moser (1995) equally highlights productive work as work done by men
and women for payment in cash or kind. This includes both market production
with an exchange value and subsistence /home production for actual use /
potential exchange value.
Community
roles is also said to include community activities undertaken primarily by
women at the community level as an extension of their reproductive role. This
could include the provision and maintenance of collective resources; water,
health and education. Moser further states that community work is voluntary and
unpaid and is undertaken in addition to the other roles.
However,
it is vital to understand that these multiple roles of women affect the way
they respond to children’s needs in the family as they tend to grow in the
absence of their mothers’. The changes in family and work patterns have
resulted to an increasing number of children being left alone to care for themselves.
The
Kaiser Women’s health survey (2001) sampled nationally nearly 4,000 women
between the ages of 18 and 64 in determining the effects of the involvement by
women who work, and women’s care giving responsibilities to their children and
the effect it has on children’s performance.
Statistics
from the study showed that women’s multiple or triple responsibility had
negative effects on the wellbeing and performance of children morally and
academic wise in the society because women spend more than half of their time
doing other things that generate income than family responsibility to children.
Young
children’s cognitive, psychological and emotional development would be harmed
if the young child was separated from the mother and the mother was not present
to provide continuous care for the child’s physical and emotional needs.
(Bowlby, 1952: Fraigberg 1977).
The
absence or separation could be seen in the multiple roles that women play
(reproductive, productive and community roles). Many women tend to focus their
attention on their roles rather than on their children, this in turn negatively
affects the children because they are left to care for themselves in most
cases.
Aizer,
2004, Colwell, Pettit, Meece, Bates and Dodge, 2001 put it that there is higher
exposure to accidents and injuries, increased risky and antisocial behaviour
like delinquency, poor school performance and negative development outcomes for
children in self-care.
Furthermore,
empirical research suggests that increases in self care are associated with an
increase in the likelihood that adolescents use illegal substances (Cohen et
al, 2002) skip school, steal or even harm others.
Given
the change in work patterns, family life is affected. Most women would
automatically prioritize their work as against spending quality time with their
families especially children. It inevitably affects the children’s performance.
According
to B. Bower July 27, 1991, girls who spent unsupervised time hanging – out,
reported more problem – behaviour such as smoking, drinking, alcoholism,
stealing and more contact with trouble –prone peers.
Psychological
and sociological literatures emphasize further, generally complementary,
pathways through which parental investments may affect children. A mother’s
absence during the first year of a child’s life could disrupt mother – child
attachment and deprive the child of the stimulation that promotes cognitive
development (Besky J. 1988).
Coleman
J. S. 1988 finally concludes that mothers with productive work diminish social
capital founded on women’s emotional investment in building relationship with
their children at home.
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
According
to research on women’s triple role it is evident, the negative effects it has
on the performance of the children. B. Bower July 27, 1991 outlines effects
such as smoking, stealing, drinking and alcoholism.
Women
more often than not have multiple roles of production, reproduction and
community activities. Given these responsibilities, many children do not get as
much attention as they need. Unlike before, women today enter the productive
sphere to further provide for their families.
In
most cases women are overburdened, and they would invariably neglect the needs
of their children. Furthermore, research has also explained that mothers in
spite of having their kids’ best interest at heart might fail to provide kids a
safe emotional outlet.
They
might not be enthusiastic to hear their kids’ issues after a hectic day at
work. Kids in such cases resort to finding an outlet else where or get a
feeling of insecurity that their mothers are not interested in their wellbeing.
This
study eventually seeks to find out what particular effects women’s triple role
has on the performance of their children.
1.5. Objectives of the
Study
1.3.1 General Objective
- The general objective of this study is to determine the effects of women’s triple role on the performance of their children in Bonduma village in Buea
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
Specific
objectives includes
- To determine women’s triple role in Bonduma village
- To examine the effects of women’s triple role on the lives of children in Bonduma
- To examine the demographic characteristics of women in the study
- To determine how women cope with exercising their triple role.
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