An Analysis Of The Way Black African Women Function In Cohabitative Relationships As Portrayed In Ten Selected African Short Stories

Abstract

This study investigated how African women in cohabitative relationships, defined as married and/or unmarried couples who live together and have sexual relationships, cope, as portrayed in the selected ten short stories by black African women writers. The short stories were selected because of recurring themes about women’s empowerment and disempowerment. The study used a qualitative approach by looking at views related to black African women in cohabitative relationships as portrayed in literature. It was informed by the black womanism, stiwanism and the feminism theories. The sample was purposively selected, because the researcher only looked at how black African female authors of short stories depict the experiences of black African women in cohabitative relationships. It seems to be highly likely that the experiences of black African women in cohabitative relationships, both positive and negative, may be traced back to the traditions of a specific society and that the attitudes and culture of a specific society determine the way they cope with their experiences. The findings indicate that black African women’s unequal position in society means that they have less power, income, protection against violence and they have less access to education and even ownership of land. The study further observed that black African women in cohabitative relationships appeared to be victims most of the time and that they did not react to their fates, thus they were often depicted as passive and submissive. There appears some bias by black African women writers, as men are often portrayed in a negative light.