The dilemma of the Zambian career woman, Times of ...
The dilemma of the Zambian career woman, Times of Zambia
Date: January 1, 1970
SHARE:
The article purports to be about the ?dilemma? of the Zambian career woman, but in fact is about the ?poor men? who are married to such women and how the cope (not how they help to juggle time).
This article may be used in training to:
1. Demonstrate how gender bias can be reflected through language.
Discussion Questions
1. What gender stereotypes are conveyed? How might these discourage women from opting for a career?
2. Discuss the article in trems of gender equality.
3. Read some of the GL commentaries below, and discuss how this article could be rewritten.
4. Does media have a responsibility to report from a gender balance?
Training Exercises
1. Pick out the phrases that convey bias in the article, for example:
1. Pick out the phrases that convey bias in the article, for example:
- The poor man is now a case of “husband battering”;
- His wife’s fanaticism with women’s lib was something of an extreme.
- The impracticality that gender equality has brought to some Zambian marriages.
- Her dilemma (not his!) is to marry or not to marry.
- Saddled with (traditional values) a Zambian woman is suddenly initiated into terms such as “woman’s lib”, “career woman” and “male chauvinism”.
- A Zambian woman who was hoping to make someone a wonderful wife suddenly decides to become a career woman.
- She decides to marry a career instead of a man.
- She revels in her new found status: a “hard boiled career woman”.
- Nothing is more admirable than a career woman who has successfully juggled matrimony and her job.
2. Draft a list of possible different approaches to an article such as this, for example how women and men can share the load of care work, so that it does not all fall on the woman. Write a new commentray on this.
3. The following are some headlines from newspapers in the region on the dual role of women. Try and gather others.
- “Divorce: are modern women responsible?”
- “The death of superwoman”
- “Sick of being superwoman.”
- “The whirlwind of working mums: They are here to stay, but need more support.”
Other training resources
Business Unusual Fact Sheets
Business Unusual Fact Sheets
Related GL Commentaries
Does black women empowerment mean act “more like a man”?
Culture affecting women in business
Does black women empowerment mean act “more like a man”?
Culture affecting women in business
Download : the dilemma of the zambian career women
Connect with us
Comment on The dilemma of the Zambian career woman, Times of Zambia