How the African family copes with infertility

313508_0
Sharon Sigauke

THE way a marriage ceremony is celebrated in African society is overwhelming. Relatives gather and ululate for the new bride who is a symbol of fertility in the home. The elderly begin to eagerly anticipate that within the next few months, the bride will be holding a baby in her arms. The marriage celebrations will have barely ended, and the in-laws are already daydreaming and anticipating the baby’s gender and the names they will give to their grandchild. Every day, people in the homestead expect to see a bulging belly; at times they speak with their eyes, staring at the daughter-in-law’s tummy.

When months become years, the elders secretly begin to gather and express their disgruntlement at the daughter-in-law’s supposed infertility. It is disturbing how barrenness is quickly blamed on a woman. In actual fact, misfortune is always quickly blamed on women in our African culture. The elders then quickly begin to decide what steps to take, and in most cases, the conclusion will be to send the daughter-in-law back to her parents.

The poor woman may be very unlucky if the elders decide to bring in another woman for their son because they want him to have an heir. The infertile daughter becomes a laughing stock as everyone starts to ignore her. These and other signals are evidence that she is no longer welcome.

Barrenness is always associated with women, even though in some cases the husband might be the one who is infertile. In cases where the man is infertile, the issue is discussed in a secluded place and members of his family will try to secretly fix the problem. In the African set-up, it is believed that a man is never infertile. It is unfair how a barren man is protected compared to the undignified treatment experienced by a woman in the same shoes.

An infertile woman is treated shamefully, like someone with leprosy. The in-laws will not hide their disappointment and make sure the daughter-in-law feels unwanted and useless. No matter how capable she is with other things, failure to produce children will make her an outcast. From now on, nothing she does will be appreciated and she is constantly told in riddles that she is childless. It becomes worse when the mother-in-law begins to sing hymns about how she longs for a grandchild or how sorry she feels for her son. This can wear out a daughter-in-law. She becomes vulnerable and begins to lose her self-worth.

Without the necessary support, she can also suffer from depression, among other things. One other thing that causes psychological harm is when the whole village begins to gossip and give her the name “barren”. Everyone in the neighbourhood will ridicule her, especially when she passes by groups of elderly women who gossip. She becomes the village laughing stock and will begin to hide herself from public view. The fertile women will become protective of their children for fear that the so-called “barren” might steal their infants. It is worrisome to note how women disregard instead of support a woman who is infertile.

In African culture, it is taboo to point out that a man has failed in the bedroom. In reality, there are countless men who are sterile but it is shocking how they plainly and unashamedly refuse to be labelled ‘infertile’. The other challenge is that most men marry for the sole reason of childbearing because they want to leave an heir when they die.

A big problem arises when there is infertility in the home. A man will not give up until he proves that it is the woman who is barren. Also, a man would never want his ego to be ruined because everyone will laugh at him. So at times, he may be forced to father a child by any means necessary just to prove to his parents and friends that he has not failed. Few men would accept their infertility.

I believe the word “support” should be emphasised in the vocabulary of African men. If your wife has problems conceiving, she needs to be supported all the way rather than letting her suffer on her own. A husband should provide the support needed to help his wife go through such a difficult experience.

What’s with some of our women? I have discovered that when a woman is suffering, other women can worsen the situation. As women, it is very difficult to practise sisterhood among ourselves. Women should be there to support one of their own instead of back-biting a sister who is experiencing difficulty. If men are not there to support us, we should be the first ones to bear each other’s burdens.

Then there is also the classic mother-in-law/daughter-in-law feud which can make things worse.

Most times, mothers-in-law are behind the chucking out of infertile daughters-in-laws. It’s surprising how mothers-in-law tend to forget that they are also daughters-in-law to other people. At times, a mother-in-law can chant about how her own daughters are fertile in comparison. She can even say at the top of her voice that she is so and so’s grandmother which is done to create a sense of low self-worth in a listening daughter-in-law.

I have heard of one mother-in-law who ran around in search of a new bride for her son because her daughter-in-law was infertile. A mother-in-law should be motherly in good or bad circumstances and she should never treat a daughter-in-law like an outcast because she is childless.

Besides, the most crucial help needed is to support a woman who cannot bear children for whatever reason. Being infertile is never a woman’s choice. At times, infertility is caused by certain disorders in the body but this does not mean that one is not entitled to a normal life. Stereotypes associated with barrenness must be done away with in our society. Everyone should accept that even men can be infertile. People shouldn’t stand on roof tops celebrating that someone cannot bear children!

Now is the time to renew our mindset about the reasons for marriage. If a woman cannot bear children, it does not mean that she cannot live in a happy marriage. Marriage is for two mature people who have to decide for themselves the outcome of their infertility. — herzimbabwe.com

You Might Also Like

Comments