Igbo Gender Roles

In modern America, gender roles are still very prevalent--maybe not as obvious, but they are still there. Gender roles have become kind of an unspoken thing in America. Women usually sit with their legs crossed, but when one sees a woman sitting with her legs open, oftentimes one will take note of that and possibly judge her on it. When a man chooses to be a stay-at-home dad while his partner goes to work during the day, people oftentimes are surprised to hear that, as they would expect a woman to have that job of staying home with the kids. Gender roles are universal, and not one society is exempt from experiencing them, especially not the Umuofian society. In the novel Things Fall Apart, author Chinua Achebe effectively portrays the very

These gender roles are mainly based on the weakness of being a woman in this society and man's acute fear of being perceived as inept in a society that places an emphasis on strong men and obedient women.

In Umuofia, women are seen as the weaker sex and men are seen as the superior sex, which keeps a balance that is needed for this society to thrive. These gender roles are essential to the Igbo culture because it is the very core of what their society is based upon. Men are the strong ones that provide for the family and women are the weaker ones whose main role is to bear children. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo lives to play out his masculine role and intimidate his wives, as shown in the quote, "'He belongs to...no more questions." (2.14) When one of his wives even dare question him, he

This is a driving force in all of Okonkwo's life decisions and choices, which began when he was just a young boy living with his feminine father. As a kid, Okonkwo swore that he would never be like his father, and it looks like he's holding onto his word, maybe a bit too strongly. He expresses his childhood trauma of having a failure as a father in this quote: "Even as a...taken to title." (2.13) This traumatic bullying incident that caused Okonkwo great suffering led him to become the man he is today: a wife beater and a child abuser. Okay, but seriously. Okonkwo's father's failures left such a huge impact on Okonkwo's life that he is now doing everything in his power to be the complete opposite of what he grew up with. One can not help but sometimes feel bad for the guy. His entire existence is based on proving to everyone else that he is the strongest and most powerful man around. That must be absolutely exhausting. One of the worst things to be called as a man in this society is a woman. Calling a man a woman is the lowest of blows possible. Okonkwo utilized this offensive term many times, like in this quote: "Only a week...a man's spirit." (4.26) Okonkwo is not afraid to kill a man's spirit if it helps him be seen as stronger or more powerful than other men. Another use of the term "woman" is used again,