Mr. E's Forum: 2006-2007 -> Multicultural Studies -> Forum #16: Women in Africa
Post Info TOPIC: Forum #16: Women in Africa
mre

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Forum #16: Women in Africa
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Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article1655627.ece

Background: Consider how women in different cultures, countries and continents go about their daily lives.  Issues that are important to women in America may be totally different from women in the Arab world, or in Africa as this article suggests.  Read the article and examine circumstances in the lives of women in Africa. 

Assignment: After reading the article below, 1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa, and 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

Evaluation: Students who answer both questions will be given 40 points each [80 total].  Students will also be given 10 points for providing a comment, suggestion or question for another student and 10 points for an answer to another students post. 

This article is from the ( RED ) edition of The Independent of 21 September 2006, guest-designed by Giorgio Armani. Half the revenue from the edition will be donated to the Global Fund to Fight Aids.

From dawn to dusk, the daily struggle of Africa's women
By Paul Vallely
Published: 21 September 2006

It was still dark, not yet 4am. But outside Letenk'iel was moving already, rekindling the fire from the overnight embers. Inside the mud-walled hut, her husband Gebremariam coughed. Then as the first birds were heard, he swung his legs over the side of a bed made from rough rope strung across a wooden frame. He stood in the doorway and stretched. His wife was already at her morning chores.

As the cold dawn light suffused the sky she sprinkled water from a squat earthenware jar across the mud floor and began to sweep the dampened earth with a brush of long grasses bound tightly together. The day had begun.

Women work two-thirds of Africa's working hours, and produce 70 per cent of its food, yet earn only 10 per cent of its income, and own less than 1 per cent of its property. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined.

Letenk'iel, from the village of Meshal in southern Eritrea, poked about in the straw where the hens had spent the night in the hope that there might be eggs to take to market to exchange for salt and oil. But there were none.

The baby began to cry. Letenk'iel fastened the child to her back with a long, dirty cloth to keep him comforted until she had the time to breastfeed. The child coughed. She fed the tiny fire, in what looked like an old biscuit-tin, with slow-burning wood on which to roast the few kernels of wheat which would be breakfast for her family of six. They would get a handful each. She would "not bother" to eat.

African women's health is particularly poor. Only 37 per cent survive to the age of 65, compared with almost 90 per cent in the UK. A poor woman in Malawi is 200 times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth than a woman in the UK. Some 250,000 women die each year from complications compared to just 1,500 in Europe.

The first big task of the day was to fetch water. First, she set her children about their chores. Gebremariam and the eldest boy, Daniel, were to shift stones from their field in readiness for ploughing. Kudos, the second son, would take the ox on the long trek for water. Her daughters, Mabraheet and Azmera, would spend hour hours fetching firewood from the far mountainside. After two hours of farm work, Daniel would set off on the hour's walk to school. He was the only one they could afford to send.

In Africa, one in three children does not go to school. Two thirds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls and the illiteracy among women in places such as Mozambique is double that of men.
Yet, as Asia has shown, when girls are educated, they marry later, have fewer children and their incomes rise. Economic productivity grows, infant mortality is halved, deaths in childbirth fall, birth rates slow, child malnutrition is halved, general nutrition and health improve and the spread of HIV is reduced. Every extra year of education boosts a girl's eventual wages by at least 10 per cent.

For Letenk'iel, it was a 25-minute walk down the hill to the pump but it would take 40 minutes to walk back up with five gallons of water wedged into the small of her back and tied on with a rope of old rag.

Once there were three wells. The eight-metre one has dried up. The nine-metre well has a little brackish water at the bottom which even the donkeys refused to drink. The flow from the pump of the 25-metre well had slowed to a painful trickle. There was just barely enough for everyone to drink.

More than 75 per cent of the population of Ethiopia lack access to safe drinking-water. More than 300 million people across Africa drink dirty water daily. Access to clean water would save women and girls walking an average six kilometres a day to fetch water, freeing more time for the family, for school and for productive work. Yet the rich world's aid to the water sector has fallen by 25 per cent since 1996.

Letenk'iel hoisted the water container and swivelled it round to lodge in the small of her back. A friend fastened it in place. When she reached home, Gebremariam was back and, without pause, she began the preparation for lunch. As the others ate, Letenk'iel breastfed the baby. Often this took a long time. Letenk'iel's milk did not flow freely, largely because there was not much food to go around. She coughed - loose and rattling - as she prepared little tasks which could be done as the four-month-old suckled. It was an hour before the child had taken his fill. When his eyes closed, she passed him to Mabraheet who lay him among the blankets.

One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday. Average spending on health per person in Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21; in the developed world it is more than $2,000 per person per year. African health systems are at the point of collapse after years of massive under-investment.

On a normal afternoon, Letenk'iel would have left the house to join her husband in the field, shifting stones. After the ploughing was done, and the seed sown, it would be her daily job to keep the weeds from the rows of sorghum, because they could not afford that any of the soil's goodness should be wasted nurturing weeds. If the rains came.

Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. They grow at least 70 per cent of its food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry. Most of what they earn is spent on the household and children; men, by contrast, spend a significantly higher amount on themselves.

Yet on widowhood many African women lose their meagre assets. A Namibian study showed 44 per cent of widows lost cattle, 28 per cent lost livestock and 41 per cent lost farm equipment in disputes with their in-laws after the death of their husbands. In many African countries, they lose all rights to cultivate their husband's land.

But today was the day for the mother-and-child clinic at the nearest health post. It was a two-hour walk each way. The baby had the rattling cough that he had caught from her. They were offering contraceptives and advice on HIV today too.

Of the 25 million people living with HIV and Aids in Africa, nearly 57 per cent are women. That figure rises to 80 per cent among those aged 15 to 19. Women have a greater biological vulnerability to the virus but the main problem is powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activity earlier, are unable to insist on condoms, have fewer rights and resources to call upon, and are sometimes forced to barter sexual favours to survive. "This is my choice: either I get Aids eventually or my baby starves now," as one Kenyan prostitute put it.

An HIV-positive woman is nearly 10 times as likely to experience violence at the hands of her partner as a woman who does not have the disease. Domestic violence causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 worldwide than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war. In at least 20 African countries, more than half the women have also suffered female genital mutilation.

For Letenk'iel, back from the clinic, there was more water to be fetched. Then a meagre evening meal of flat bread, cooked on a large tray over the biscuit-tin stove. After dinner, as Letenk'iel was sitting in the stable, picking the lice from the baby's jumper, and helping Daniel with his homework, she saw a new rip in Azmera's thin and grimy little dress. "How did that happen?"
"It wasn't me," said the pert little six-year-old. "It got old."

Her mother wrapped the child in a blanket and, with the light fading, she sewed the threadbare material, using a strand pulled from the sack of a food-aid bag.
Darkness fell. She ushered the children to their beds, and began the last tidying chores before damping down the fire. She would be up in six hours.

Voices from a continent in turmoil
Hellen Wanjiku, 24, Kenya
Hellen was born in Korogocho, a large slum on the northern outskirts of Nairobi. She is known as Shiko Babes, and is managing editor of the local community radio station.
She says: "The youth have empowered themselves. We believe we can survive. It is changing our belief and giving us an option. If a youth can get a job then they won't steal."
Amal Achmed Altaib, 19, Sudan
Amal will never forget the Janjaweed Arab militia attack on her village in Darfur in January last year. She now lives in a refugee camp.
She says: "They came on camels at 10 at night, shooting. Our houses were burnt and animals taken."
Ncumisa Kaba, 26, South Africa
Ncumisa Kaba is one of the young African professional women who see themselves as the "real embodiment" of a better future. She is HIV negative and has regular tests.
She says: "We are not a continent of poverty and flies as we are widely perceived. We are potentially a land of milk and honey."
Fatouma Al-Kassoum, Mali
Fatouma has five children: three boys and two girls. Her husband left her. She was trained by an Oxfam partner, GARI, to tell of the benefits of girls going to school.
She says: "Traditionally most girls marry young. I talk with parents and let them know that it's not good to prevent girls going to school."
Beatrice Okot, 38, Uganda
Displaced by war in Uganda, Beatrice lives in two rooms with her two children. She has HIV and so did her husband. He died in 1994.
She says: "If there was no war, life would be better. We had land and a free house, no shortage of food. I always tell my children to be aware of HIV. They know I'm positive."
Serah Wanjiku, 19, Kenya
For five shillings (4p), Serah sells small bottles of glue to the street children and unemployed of Korogosho. Serah's parents died of Aids when she was 14.
She says: "I never wanted my life to become this. I have done a hairdressing course. I am not happy to sell glue, but I have to survive."

Women: A world apart
Life expectancy
Africa: 46
UK: 80
Chance of a girl going to primary school
Africa: 60 %
UK: 100 %
Minutes worked per day
Africa: 590*
UK: 413
Female literacy
Africa: 53.2%
UK: 99.9%
Births attended by a midwife
Africa: 43 %
UK: 99 %
Deaths in childbirth a year (per 100,000)
Africa: 920
UK: 13
Women using contraception
Africa: 15 % **
UK: 84 %
Average number of children
Africa: 5.5
UK: 1.7
Deaths during abortion every year
Africa: 29,800
UK: 8
Female MPs (Elected Politicians)
Africa: 6.5% (Chad) 49% (Rwanda)
UK: 18.5 %
Professional and technical staff who are women
Africa: 46%
UK: 32%
Women with HIV
Africa: 13,200,000
UK: 21,000
All figures are average African woman versus average British woman except: * Kenya, ** Ivory Coast. Sources: United Nations Development Programme; World Bank; DfID; Commission for Africa; Save the Children; Oxfam

-- Edited by mre at 15:10, 2007-05-04

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Masonnn

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I think that AIDS affects both women in Africa and women in America, but maybe just not nearly as bad.  The fact that it is anywhere is a problem.  I also think that more women should get more active in the government in both America and Africa, because there aren't as many women as there are men in both countries.

I think in Africa the problem with water is a big issue.  In America we have so much water that we basically waste it when we leave our sink running.  I think that America should try to send lots of water to Africa to try and help them.  I also think that the problem with abortions causing death is also a REALLY big problem, because compared with UK's deathes of only EIGHT per year they have numbers reaching almost THIRTY THOUSAND. I think that that is RIDICULOUS.  I also think that it's a huge problem that women don't really go to school in Africa and that most of them are illilerate.  I think that's a really big problem and it's probably why there aren't as many women in the government of Africa and why there are as many problems as there are.  I think that if women were to be educated as much as the men in Africa that the economy would be better and a lot of the problem there could be resolved.

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lexie wetzel

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Common issues that affect women both in America and Africa are life expectancy in Africa it's 46% and in the UK it is 80%. In Africa female literacy is 53.2% and in the Uk it is 99.9%. In Africa only 15% use contraception and in the UK 84% use contraception. The deaths during abortion in Africa are 29,800 and the deaths during abortion in the UK are 8. In Africa there are about 13,200,000 women with HIV in the UK there are around 21,000. In the UK they have around 32% of women who are professional and techincal staff.

Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. Issues that I believe apply distinctly to African women are having to grow at least 70 percent of Africa's food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry, fetching water, walking miles to get to school or civilization, having HIV and AIDS, being malnourished and unhealthy and several other factors.

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Leslie

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Assignment: After reading the article below, 1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa, and 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.
 

Question #1: There are some issues that affect all women worldwide. After reading the article and a little more information on the African women I got a better view on how there are some similarities between women in America and women in Africa. One issue that seems almost common among all women is that they tend to work harder than men do. To many this may seem very wrong but when you think about it its true. Most women now in days work full time jobs as most men do. But usually men come home and get to relax and justify the fact that they dont have to do anything because they had a long day at work, but women cant do that. As tired as a woman may she has to come home and take care of the house chores that have to be done as a wife and mother. They cant just come home and sit down. They must either make dinner, or clean up their house, or take care of the children or other things like that. So its a lot of work for a woman to come home from work and have to work at home. Another issue affecting both women in America and women in Africa is that we both almost always have to go day by day constantly living in a world where men still overpower women. No matter how much the world has changed and in a way bettered itself, there is still a long way to go. Men still feel that there are things that women shouldnt do or cant do because they are women. Women in Africa, of course, have it a lot worse than women living in America but the basic idea is around in both places. Another thing that is almost common among all women is violence by men. Because of the idea that men are higher and overpower women, men think that they can get away with abusing women and violating their rights. No matter what women still have their rights and that should be respected by men everywhere.
I need to finish question 2!!!biggrin



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Ashley Rego

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1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa
 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

Common issues I believe affect women both in America and Africa.
In both countries, aids is a huge issue. Anywhere you go you could find someone with aids.In American women have more rights than African woman. We have the chose to have sex, in Africa sometimes they are forced to do so. Both women in different countries work very hard to support themselves and their families.
Things that apply in distinctly to African women.
Women work two-thirds of Africa's working hours, and produce 70 per cent of its food, and only earn 10 percent of its income, and own less than 1 percent of its property. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined. African women's health is particularly poor. Only 37 percent survive to the age of 65. A poor woman in Malawi is 200 times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Some 250,000 women die each year from complications. In Africa, one in three children does not go to school. Two thirds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls. More than 75 percent of the population of Ethiopia lack access to safe drinking-water. More than 300 million people across Africa drink dirty water daily. Access to clean water would save women and girls walking an average six kilometres a day to fetch water, freeing more time for the family, for school and for productive work. Yet the rich world's aid to the water sector has fallen by 25 percent since 1996.One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday. Average spending on health per person in Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21; in the developed world it is more than $2,000 per person per year. African health systems are at the point of collapse after years of massive under-investment.Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. They grow at least 70 percent of its food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry. Most of what they earn is spent on the household and children; men, by contrast, spend a significantly higher amount on themselves.Yet on widowhood many African women lose their meagre assets. A Namibian study showed 44 percent of widows lost cattle, 28 percent lost livestock and 41 percent lost farm equipment in disputes with their in-laws after the death of their husbands. In many African countries, they lose all rights to cultivate their husband's land.Of the 25 million people living with HIV and Aids in Africa, nearly 57 percent are women.The number of women with aids is 13,200,000. That figure rises to 80 percent among those aged 15 to 19. Women have a greater biological vulnerability to the virus but the main problem is powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activity earlier, are unable to insist on condoms, have fewer rights and resources to call upon, and are sometimes forced to barter sexual favours to survive.

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Leslie

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Question #2: Even though there are many issues that affect both the women living in America and women in Africa, there are many more issues that affect solely African women. The statistics that I read in the article are almost unbelievable I wish they were unbelievable. One thing that completely blew my mind was the number of women in Africa who have IHIhihHOGNFFFHHIHGVN GJGOFIGHFGFFDFFGGHIV as opposed to women in the UK who have HIV. The number of women in Africa is 13,200,000 and the number of women in the UK is only 21,000. That right there shows the immense differences that occur between African women and other women. Another thing that is directed mostly to African women is the amount of hours they work. In the article there was a part that stated that African women work three hours more than an average British women does working domestically and professionally combined. By that statistic we see that African women endure a lot more work and hardships than many women could even think of. Since its so poor in Africa, childbirth is a big risk among women. Here in America with all the technology its pretty easy to have a child but in Africa, first of all there is no medicine to kill the pain and second since technology is not advanced its very dangerous to have a child. The amount of deaths during childbirth every year are as high as 920. That number is amazingly high for something that for us in America is fairly easy. Most African women, if they dont continue attending school as they get older, tend to marry early which also proves that African young girls dont ever really get to enjoy their lives as they are growing up. I find that so sad because when youre young you should be out enjoying the fact that youre young but instead they are working and struggling to survive. Women in Africa grow at least 70% of the food they eat which proves that they are vital to the whole population of Africa. They are important to the little bit of economy that there is in Africa so even though they are thought to be beneath men they are very important in Africa. They are the ones that grow most of the food that is eaten in Africa. biggrin



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Leslie

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Ashley Rego wrote:

1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa
 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

Common issues I believe affect women both in America and Africa.
In both countries, aids is a huge issue. Anywhere you go you could find someone with aids.In American women have more rights than African woman. We have the chose to have sex, in Africa sometimes they are forced to do so. Both women in different countries work very hard to support themselves and their families.
Things that apply in distinctly to African women.
Women work two-thirds of Africa's working hours, and produce 70 per cent of its food, and only earn 10 percent of its income, and own less than 1 percent of its property. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined. African women's health is particularly poor. Only 37 percent survive to the age of 65. A poor woman in Malawi is 200 times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Some 250,000 women die each year from complications. In Africa, one in three children does not go to school. Two thirds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls. More than 75 percent of the population of Ethiopia lack access to safe drinking-water. More than 300 million people across Africa drink dirty water daily. Access to clean water would save women and girls walking an average six kilometres a day to fetch water, freeing more time for the family, for school and for productive work. Yet the rich world's aid to the water sector has fallen by 25 percent since 1996.One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday. Average spending on health per person in Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21; in the developed world it is more than $2,000 per person per year. African health systems are at the point of collapse after years of massive under-investment.Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. They grow at least 70 percent of its food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry. Most of what they earn is spent on the household and children; men, by contrast, spend a significantly higher amount on themselves.Yet on widowhood many African women lose their meagre assets. A Namibian study showed 44 percent of widows lost cattle, 28 percent lost livestock and 41 percent lost farm equipment in disputes with their in-laws after the death of their husbands. In many African countries, they lose all rights to cultivate their husband's land.Of the 25 million people living with HIV and Aids in Africa, nearly 57 percent are women.The number of women with aids is 13,200,000. That figure rises to 80 percent among those aged 15 to 19. Women have a greater biological vulnerability to the virus but the main problem is powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activity earlier, are unable to insist on condoms, have fewer rights and resources to call upon, and are sometimes forced to barter sexual favours to survive.



Do you think that women living have the right to complain when women in other countries are much worse? I know that there are certain situations that we have to go through here in America but do you think it's justifiable to complain about our life here? I was just wondering what someone else thought about it!!biggrin



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Leslie

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Sorry guys!! My post kind of got messed up in the middle of a sentence but something wierd was going on with my computer and i didn't notice that it got all messed up!!! Sorry!!!!cry

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katieDe

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   A few of the issues mentioned in this article can also effect the women in America, and other places as well. Being forced into sexual acts sticks out to me the most. There is a growing percentage of times when a woman has no say in what happens, weather it be with her partner or someone she doesnt know, and so cant encourage condoms or birth control. Granted women in america dont usually have to exchange sexual favors for means if survival, but rape happens, and sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies come about just the same. 
   However, a lot of these issues dont really apply to American women. In america, we have a lot of jobs, which means money for food, water, decent clothing and housing, and medical care. A HUGE percentage of women in Africa dont have the same oppertunities we do, and as a result of that they have much harder lives. Women here dont have to walk for almost an hour to get water from a well for their familied to drink and cook with; we dont have to try to work fields of bad soil to grow measlie crops that wont even feed our 8 person family properly.

thats really all i have to say about that....

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Heather Roy

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I think we look at Africa and say to ourselves they have a lot going on over there-but in reality we have some of the same problems in America. Aids is a probably in both countries-maybe it's not as bad in America, but it's still an issue. Poverty is also a shared problem. Women in America will do things out of desperation just to have food for their children..etc. The government of the United States is making it so hard for people right now to live like we use to. People can't pay for their bills, their medication, put gas in their cars, support their families, retire early, etc. Women in America struggle just like women in Africa, they struggle for their children, they struggle to eat, they struggle to get things done. Every country has these issues, it's just some countries have it worse than others.
The things that apply just to African women would probably be the way they work. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined. Also they health they get in Africa, in 2001 the average spending was $13-$21 in the developed world it's about $2,000 per person! A quote I found very interesting was "Domestic violence causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 worldwide than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war". I would have never thought that. And that is worldwide. So I guess when you break it down, we all have the same problems.

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Catherine

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           African woman


1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa:
The common issue is the deaths in childbirth there are hundreds of women dieing a year because of childbirth difficulties from abortion or HIV or even having to many kids there going to have at least one childbirth difficulty and with out pertection they have more kids and they get a lot more of different dieases and a lot of them do effect the kids when they get older or even by birth.  

2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.
 HIV there are 13,200,000 woman that is effected with this dieases they are known for the highest population that is effected to HIV and i think it applies more to african woman then any other race or gender.  

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Mikey D.

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I think when it comes to a common struggle between women of africa and women of America wealth is a issues between the two. Although wealth is a much bigger issue in africa than it is here,it's still a problem we both face. One of the major problems in africa amongst women is the large percentage of aids/std's that they carry.

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Catherine

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Ashley Rego wrote:

1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa
 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

Common issues I believe affect women both in America and Africa.
In both countries, aids is a huge issue. Anywhere you go you could find someone with aids.In American women have more rights than African woman. We have the chose to have sex, in Africa sometimes they are forced to do so. Both women in different countries work very hard to support themselves and their families.
Things that apply in distinctly to African women.
Women work two-thirds of Africa's working hours, and produce 70 per cent of its food, and only earn 10 percent of its income, and own less than 1 percent of its property. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined. African women's health is particularly poor. Only 37 percent survive to the age of 65. A poor woman in Malawi is 200 times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Some 250,000 women die each year from complications. In Africa, one in three children does not go to school. Two thirds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls. More than 75 percent of the population of Ethiopia lack access to safe drinking-water. More than 300 million people across Africa drink dirty water daily. Access to clean water would save women and girls walking an average six kilometres a day to fetch water, freeing more time for the family, for school and for productive work. Yet the rich world's aid to the water sector has fallen by 25 percent since 1996.One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday. Average spending on health per person in Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21; in the developed world it is more than $2,000 per person per year. African health systems are at the point of collapse after years of massive under-investment.Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. They grow at least 70 percent of its food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry. Most of what they earn is spent on the household and children; men, by contrast, spend a significantly higher amount on themselves.Yet on widowhood many African women lose their meagre assets. A Namibian study showed 44 percent of widows lost cattle, 28 percent lost livestock and 41 percent lost farm equipment in disputes with their in-laws after the death of their husbands. In many African countries, they lose all rights to cultivate their husband's land.Of the 25 million people living with HIV and Aids in Africa, nearly 57 percent are women.The number of women with aids is 13,200,000. That figure rises to 80 percent among those aged 15 to 19. Women have a greater biological vulnerability to the virus but the main problem is powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activity earlier, are unable to insist on condoms, have fewer rights and resources to call upon, and are sometimes forced to barter sexual favours to survive.



I agree with you 100% a lot of african woman are forced to do what they do not want to do and in many cases they are forced to do something with other men not only there husbands.



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Jamie Dias

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1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa,

There are many things that affect both women in africa and women in the u.s but i think aids is a big problem even though is Africa there are way more women living with aids then in the u.s i think its still a big issue.Also, in the u.s and africa women work many hours to support there familys


 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

The issues i believe apply to African women is abortion in africa 29,800 aboritions and thats alot . Also the supply of water is a big issue in America we have plenty of water but in Africa you have to walk to get water. In Africa there at 920 deaths due to abortions i believe that is an issue only applyin to african women because in the UK theres only 8 a year



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Catherine

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Mikey D. wrote:

I think when it comes to a common struggle between women of africa and women of America wealth is a issues between the two. Although wealth is a much bigger issue in africa than it is here,it's still a problem we both face. One of the major problems in africa amongst women is the large percentage of aids/std's that they carry.


Do you think that money will be all that would need to help them or do you think that there whole serroundings is a bad place to grow up inconfused

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mason

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katieDe wrote:

   A few of the issues mentioned in this article can also effect the women in America, and other places as well. Being forced into sexual acts sticks out to me the most. There is a growing percentage of times when a woman has no say in what happens, weather it be with her partner or someone she doesnt know, and so cant encourage condoms or birth control. Granted women in america dont usually have to exchange sexual favors for means if survival, but rape happens, and sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies come about just the same. 
   However, a lot of these issues dont really apply to American women. In america, we have a lot of jobs, which means money for food, water, decent clothing and housing, and medical care. A HUGE percentage of women in Africa dont have the same oppertunities we do, and as a result of that they have much harder lives. Women here dont have to walk for almost an hour to get water from a well for their familied to drink and cook with; we dont have to try to work fields of bad soil to grow measlie crops that wont even feed our 8 person family properly.

thats really all i have to say about that....



you basically said what i was trying to say in my post but you explained it with more words.  maybe i should use more words!!!!! :D



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mason

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Jamie Dias wrote:

1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa,

There are many things that affect both women in africa and women in the u.s but i think aids is a big problem even though is Africa there are way more women living with aids then in the u.s i think its still a big issue.Also, in the u.s and africa women work many hours to support there familys


 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

The issues i believe apply to African women is abortion in africa 29,800 aboritions and thats alot . Also the supply of water is a big issue in America we have plenty of water but in Africa you have to walk to get water. In Africa there at 920 deaths due to abortions i believe that is an issue only applyin to african women because in the UK theres only 8 a year


a lot of women in the US work alot of hours to support their families too don't they?



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Kate Snell!

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1) Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa?
All women go through the same issues. Some are worse than others depending on the country. Women in America and Africa all struggle with the same things, such as childbirth, raising a family, protecting themselves and their children from harm, sexism, and abuse. The severity of these issues depends on where the women live.  American women may share these issues with African women, but African women have to live under even harsher conditions. Both groups of women will do anything to make sure their family survives. An African prostitute said  "This is my choice: either I get Aids eventually or my baby starves now,".
2) What issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women?
Women in Africa live in such an intense environment.  They get up early to prepare breakfast, which is just usually a handful of wheat that she sometimes cant eat herself. They work all day, try and sell as much food as they can from their crops (if they have any) just to be able to buy some necessities for the family.  They live with hardly any healthcare, causing the average death of African women to be just under 65.  They grow 70% of the food but only keep 10% of the profit.  Women are also more prone to the AIDS virus, do to powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activities with men, without being allowed to suggest protection. African women are also known to suffer from female genital mutilation. They suffer from massive amounts of abuse, because they are not treated equally.

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jaimie

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I feel as though african women have the same problems but 10 times worse. They dont get no benefits they get u earlier they have more things they have to do with less utilities and help. they live in huts have trouble with everything they have to do. American women get help when they dont have a husband they can have aborotions and adoptions. but all of africa is not bad and poor its just like they we see here.

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Kate Snell!

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Heather Roy wrote:

I think we look at Africa and say to ourselves they have a lot going on over there-but in reality we have some of the same problems in America. Aids is a probably in both countries-maybe it's not as bad in America, but it's still an issue. Poverty is also a shared problem. Women in America will do things out of desperation just to have food for their children..etc. The government of the United States is making it so hard for people right now to live like we use to. People can't pay for their bills, their medication, put gas in their cars, support their families, retire early, etc. Women in America struggle just like women in Africa, they struggle for their children, they struggle to eat, they struggle to get things done. Every country has these issues, it's just some countries have it worse than others.
The things that apply just to African women would probably be the way they work. They work three hours a day longer than the average British woman does on professional and domestic work combined. Also they health they get in Africa, in 2001 the average spending was $13-$21 in the developed world it's about $2,000 per person! A quote I found very interesting was "Domestic violence causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 worldwide than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war". I would have never thought that. And that is worldwide. So I guess when you break it down, we all have the same problems.


I pretty much can't believe what i read in that article. How can people in wealthier countries just let this happen. It's like we know whats going on in Africa, but we can't seem to get enough help to support the cause. teamwork.gif



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Heather Roy

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Kate Snell! wrote:

1) Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa?
All women go through the same issues. Some are worse than others depending on the country. Women in America and Africa all struggle with the same things, such as childbirth, raising a family, protecting themselves and their children from harm, sexism, and abuse. The severity of these issues depends on where the women live.  American women may share these issues with African women, but African women have to live under even harsher conditions. Both groups of women will do anything to make sure their family survives. An African prostitute said  "This is my choice: either I get Aids eventually or my baby starves now,".
2) What issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women?
Women in Africa live in such an intense environment.  They get up early to prepare breakfast, which is just usually a handful of wheat that she sometimes cant eat herself. They work all day, try and sell as much food as they can from their crops (if they have any) just to be able to buy some necessities for the family.  They live with hardly any healthcare, causing the average death of African women to be just under 65.  They grow 70% of the food but only keep 10% of the profit.  Women are also more prone to the AIDS virus, do to powerlessness. They are forced into sexual activities with men, without being allowed to suggest protection. African women are also known to suffer from female genital mutilation. They suffer from massive amounts of abuse, because they are not treated equally.


           I know what you mean, it's hard to know all this is happening but we dont really do anything to stop it, but then again we have dozens of problems in our own country that get over-looked, so how can we help another country?


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Ashley Rego

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Do you think that women living have the right to complain when women in other countries are much worse? I know that there are certain situations that we have to go through here in America but do you think its justifiable to complain about our life here? I was just wondering what someone else thought about it!!


Everyone has their right to speak their mind and state their opinion, and its their choice to live the way they do. If they aint satisfied the way they live then they should make a change. I mean we shouldn't complain in America because we got it good compared to other countries like you said other countries got it worse, but i think everyone should have a choice to live the way they want.

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Valdir

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Women in Africa:

 

            1. I dont think there are many similarities between the women of Africa and of the United States. If any, its the issue if gender roles. I think in both cultures women are viewed as secondary to men. Their place in society still strongly revolves around the initiative that women are the caretakers and are and should be confined to the home. A lot of that is changing in America though.

 

            2. It seems like everything affects women in Africa. They have a hard enough time living to 45. Thats horrible. Anyway, to answer the question, AIDS, sexual and domestic abuse, giving birth, receiving an education, and fulfilling intense labor on a daily basis. All of these are things that average American women dont have to deal with on a regular basis. The two societies seem worlds apart.



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shallyn

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 American women& African women issues: they both work hard then males. sexual intercourse is a choice in American and in Africa its not always that way sometimes they're forced too. Both countries have people that suffer from AIDS but the percentages are very different ,Africa: 13,200,000 and America is 21,000. Women in Africa dont really have a good education. Of the 25 million people living with HIV and Aids in Africa, nearly 57 per cent are women.They are forced into sexual activity earlier, have fewer rights and resources to call upon, and are sometimes forced to take part in sexual intercourse to survive.In at least 20 African countries, more than half the women have also suffered female genital mutilation.Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. They grow at least 70 per cent of its food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry.One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday. Average spending on health per person in Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21.In Africa, one in three children does not go to school. Two thirds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls.

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Tiffany V

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  I do belive that aids does affect both american and african women almost about the same , maybe african women more becauase of the condictions they live in and they way there community and government work. After reading the article one thing that i did relize that bith african and american women have in commoon is they both work very hard, harder then men. Althought yet womne still dont have the power that men maintain, how is it that a women works a full time job and then comes home to cook and clean and watch the kids, but a man gets to come home and do notting for he went to work all day and now he gets to come home and relax Aslo i think africa is more affected by it then us because as an american citizen i can say we do have everything and we take advantage of it people in africa are survive while we here are eating everything we want and throwing so much out. I think us women here in america have took a big step in trying to become equal as men and have the same power i do belive womne can have the same power sa men we can work all day and no complain but men work all day and then come home to do notting but sleep and eat.

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nathan

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I there is a common struggle between women of Africa and women of America, an issue between the two is wealth. Although wealth is a much bigger issue in Africa than it is here, because it is not a country with metropolitan cities and people have to work really hard to have food and water, it is still a problem all these women face. One of the major problems in Africa amongst women is the large percentage of AIDs/STD's that is carried by them. I think that problem is also here in America. Many women have died in Africa from AIDS/STD's than in the USA. I think that there is not a big difference in those categories here and in Africa.

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mre

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updated- 5/8/07

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J.Hic

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1) Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa?
There really arent common issues that affect both women in American and in Africa equally. The women in Africa definitely have a harder life then women in American. Females that are living in American should actually be grateful for all they have and all the rights they have too. Even though there is still a lot of room for improvement, the women in Africa definitely have a hard life style.
 2) What issues you believe apply to distinctly to African Women?

            There are many issues that apply distinctly to African Women. The first is the water supplies. The young girl has to take a 40 minute walk to get water for her family. Another main issue that females in Africa deal with is the deaths in childbirth.  Also women in Africa are affected with HIV more than women in American. For females in Africa its a daily struggle unlike for females in American where they are not much affected by it.



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J.Hic

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Valdir wrote:

Women in Africa:

            1. I dont think there are many similarities between the women of Africa and of the United States. If any, its the issue if gender roles. I think in both cultures women are viewed as secondary to men. Their place in society still strongly revolves around the initiative that women are the caretakers and are and should be confined to the home. A lot of that is changing in America though.

            2. It seems like everything affects women in Africa. They have a hard enough time living to 45. Thats horrible. Anyway, to answer the question, AIDS, sexual and domestic abuse, giving birth, receiving an education, and fulfilling intense labor on a daily basis. All of these are things that average American women dont have to deal with on a regular basis. The two societies seem worlds apart.


Your right there isnt many similarities between American and African women. Its true women in Africa definitely have a harder life.

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nessaA

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Yea, America has the same problems as the problems in Africa, but they're not as severe.  I don't think it's right to compare our poverty to the poverty in Africa.  Yes, America has people living with AIDS, but in Africa small girls are being forced to sleep with men that have HIV, and know it.... yea things like this happen in America i'm not saying it doesn't, but when it does happen people are appauled, we get sick to hear about it because it shouldnt be happeneing, and if the man is caught, he's punished.... In Africa, these things happen all the time and go ignored...... the people living also don't have clean drinking water.. at least if there is a poor man or woman in America with no home, they can walk into a mcDonalds,  Dunkin Donuts, Honey Dew and ask for a cup of ice water, and it's free.....  i don't know but it made me sick to read this ..

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lexie wetzel

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I totally agree and it's true that a homeless person can walk into a fastfood restaurant and ask for a cup of water because I work at Mc Donald's and this occurs all the time. =]

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adays

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American women& African women issues:
women work extremely hard. there are some that dont, , its not about ur sex, its about ur personality and charaacter.
sexual intercoarse can be a choice or an obligation.some people are rapped. some are willing to have sex. if you are willing, and u have sexwith out knowing what the other person has(stds or somthing) then thats ur fault. being forced or rapped is a diff, situation.

WOMEN WITH AIDS.
Africa: 13,200,000
America is 21,000.

arfican women dont have the best education 

57 percent of people who have AIDS/HIV are women.
Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. One in six children in Africa dies before their fifth birthday.

Average spending on health per person in
Africa in 2001 was between $13 and $21.In Africa,

one in three children dont go to school.
2.3rds of the 40 million non-attenders are girls.

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adays

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nessaA wrote:

Yea, America has the same problems as the problems in Africa, but they're not as severe.  I don't think it's right to compare our poverty to the poverty in Africa.  Yes, America has people living with AIDS, but in Africa small girls are being forced to sleep with men that have HIV, and know it.... yea things like this happen in America i'm not saying it doesn't, but when it does happen people are appauled, we get sick to hear about it because it shouldnt be happeneing, and if the man is caught, he's punished.... In Africa, these things happen all the time and go ignored...... the people living also don't have clean drinking water.. at least if there is a poor man or woman in America with no home, they can walk into a mcDonalds,  Dunkin Donuts, Honey Dew and ask for a cup of ice water, and it's free.....  i don't know but it made me sick to read this ..


i agree, it happends in america to . but here... people care. people have money to make a statment, get medicine. teach other poeple to not make the same mistake, but in africa its like its in  the boonies. and no one wants to hear them out.




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Pac-Man Jones

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1) describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa

 the top reason i can think of is equality. Women are not seen as the head honcho of the family as the same for women in the usa. In Africa tribal women are needed to clean and cook and take car of the household and children. In america itz almost the same way.




2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.

Aids and disesaes are a big time problem for african women and basically african countries as a whole. A large percentage of african women cannot afford good hospital care or medicine so they have to live withdiseases that eventually kill them or infect others. Childbirth is a hassel also for women who cannot have access to hospitals

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Pac-Man Jones

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lexie wetzel wrote:

Common issues that affect women both in America and Africa are life expectancy in Africa it's 46% and in the UK it is 80%. In Africa female literacy is 53.2% and in the Uk it is 99.9%. In Africa only 15% use contraception and in the UK 84% use contraception. The deaths during abortion in Africa are 29,800 and the deaths during abortion in the UK are 8. In Africa there are about 13,200,000 women with HIV in the UK there are around 21,000. In the UK they have around 32% of women who are professional and techincal staff.

Women are the backbone of Africa's rural economy. Issues that I believe apply distinctly to African women are having to grow at least 70 percent of Africa's food and are responsible for half the animal husbandry, fetching water, walking miles to get to school or civilization, having HIV and AIDS, being malnourished and unhealthy and several other factors.


Yes i definatly belive african women are the backbone ofthe economy and the families. For they are teh ones that prepare teh meals, take care of the children and clean the house.



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diego

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1) Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa, and 2) what issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.
 
1)       Both women in Africa and America struggle to survive and sometimes fit in the working world. A common issue that all women struggles with is being a parent.
2)      They do not have as much rights as the guys do, Women works more then men and produce about 70% of the food, get 10% of income, and less than 1% of its property.

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Donald

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1) Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa.
Two issues between men and women in America and Africa are equality and raising children.
 


2) What issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.
An issue is desease and not having good medical help for their kids or them selves.

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mre

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updated

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Sabrina

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The common issues that both the women in Africa and women of the United States share are the responsibilities of raising there families.  They also go through a lot of the same struggles when it comes to just being a woman.  For example, women in Africa are likely to experience disrespect and abuse from men.  That is also true here in America for some.  Some women are forced to do sexual favors for men in order for to take care of their children. 

Even though there are many similarities between African women and American women, there is also a huge contrast between them also.  African women go through way more hardships than an American women on a daily basis.  They struggle with aids and having enough food to feed there family.  I know there are some American women who go through this but not to the same extreme as African women.  Life in general is just harder for African women.

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donald

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jaimie wrote:
I feel as though african women have the same problems but 10 times worse. They dont get no benefits they get u earlier they have more things they have to do with less utilities and help. they live in huts have trouble with everything they have to do. American women get help when they dont have a husband they can have aborotions and adoptions. but all of africa is not bad and poor its just like they we see here.

I think shes right african women have it harder they have to do all the work and in africa the mothers start out young and are forced to do all the things they might not want but they have to to survive.

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mre

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updated

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Amanda

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1)       Describe what common issues you believe affect women both in America and Africa
Women in America and Africa both experience having to do housework and care for the children. They have to be the ones who do the cooking and cleaning and they have to make sure their family is safe; they are the ones that hold their families together.
2)       What issues you believe apply to distinctly to African women.
The issues that apply distinctly to African women are the dangers of childbirth, abortion, and AIDS. In childbirth 920 women in Africa die as compared with 13 women who die in the UK due to childbirth.  29,800 women die every year in Africa as a result of abortions, compared with 8 women who die in UK.  In Africa over 13 million women live with HIV and AIDS compared with 21,000 women who live with AIDS and HIV in the UK.  They have less of a chance at getting an education as well, in Africa only 60% of girls get a chance to go to school and in the UK 100% of girls get a chance to go to school.  Meaning they also have a much lower literacy rate than women in the UK.  They also work much longer days than women in the UK, women in Africa work about 590 minutes a day while women in the UK work 413 minutes a day.  Women in Africa also have a much lower life expectancy (46) as compared with the UK (80).

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Amanda

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Valdir wrote:

Women in Africa:

1. I dont think there are many similarities between the women of Africa and of the United States. If any, its the issue if gender roles. I think in both cultures women are viewed as secondary to men. Their place in society still strongly revolves around the initiative that women are the caretakers and are and should be confined to the home. A lot of that is changing in America though.

2. It seems like everything affects women in Africa. They have a hard enough time living to 45. Thats horrible. Anyway, to answer the question, AIDS, sexual and domestic abuse, giving birth, receiving an education, and fulfilling intense labor on a daily basis. All of these are things that average American women dont have to deal with on a regular basis. The two societies seem worlds apart.




I agree, it's insane to think that people in countries, especially in Africa, are still dealing with such appaling situations in their daily lives and many people know how horrible the situations are but they allow it go on and so many use the excuse that 'America has its own problems' to care about what goes on in Africa.

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