What role do women play in society based on Obierika's daughter's uri in Things Fall Apart?

The celebration surrounding Obierika’s daughter and her uri— or a betrothal ceremony—initially appears to be centered on the bride. Indeed, the women seem to be very important to the ceremony, and this suggests that they have some power over the proceedings:  

“It was the day on which her suitor (having already paid the greater part of her bride-price) would bring palm-wine not only to her parents and immediate relatives but to the wide and extensive group of kinsmen called umunna. Everybody had been invited-- men, women, and children. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother” (110).

However, upon closer examination, the celebration is a ceremony based on the suitor paying over half of the “bride-price.” The fact that there are dowries attached to marriages indicates women’s status as commodities within the tribe.The women of Umuofia are relegated to a marginalized position within the society, viewed more as extensions of men’s wealth than as individuals with agency. Certainly, the more wives a man has, the greater status he obtains within the community. Moreover, ruling over women is another sign of a successful man in Umuofia. At one point, Okonkwo reflects on Nwoye's development as a man:  

“He wanted him to be a prosperous man, having enough in his barn to feed the ancestors with regular sacrifices. And so he was always happy when he heard him grumbling about women. That showed that in time he would be able to control his women-folk. No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man” (53).

This marginalization is found throughout the novel, and is subtly present in Obierika’s daughter’s uri.

What are the differing roles of men and women in Igbo society in Things Fall Apart?

Igbo society, represented in the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, is extremely traditional, especially with regards to gender roles. The men are the primary providers, making money and growing crops for the family. Okonkwo famously prides himself on the yam crop he produces annually, and it is his mark of success. Additionally, the men engage in battle as well as traditional war ceremonies, such as the mock battle, acting as a celebration, which leads to many of the conflicts in the novel. Finally, the men have ruling authority, controlling their wives and ruling the village.

The women are tasked with taking care of the house, as Okonkwo’s wives do, and tending to their children. This is a very traditional arrangement, as the women do little if any work outside of the house. Additionally, they have no authority or power over the men and equally have little in the way of rights.

What are the differing roles of men and women in Igbo society in Things Fall Apart?

The Ibo society has a communal structure, reflected in families and the larger village itself. The gender roles would probably be considered "traditional"-men are the providers, women are in charge of the domestic sphere. For men, this role involves some sort of physical prowess, as demonstrated by the importance placed upon the wrestling competitions. The ability to provide factors into mens' functions as well, as one who can harvest vast amounts of crops can not only feed his family, but may sell the rest for extra wealth. Thus farming and growing healthy yams is considered part of the male arena in the book. Finally, strength on the battlefield is respected in the culture. A man who brings home the heads of the enemy is considered a hero, and carries the sign of virility. Men also have many wives, another symbol of virility.

Women are in charge of some farming (not yams) & of course, raising children. Children are raised by all wives, sharing the responsibilities among all members of the family. Also, all chores are shared amongst the wives and children. Wives have their own huts, where their children return at the end of the day. The husband has his own hut as well. There may be some advantages to this arrangement: less stress on one person, perhaps. For women, strength is defined in another way. Women who show strength are able to bear children, grow and harvest women's crops, and take care of their husbands without complaint. They suffer blows, guide their children through sickness, and remain steadfast in the face of abuse. Their strength becomes a moral, internal strength, opposed to the brute physical strength of the men.

What is the role of women in Igbo society in Things Fall Apart?

In Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the narrative mostly focuses on Okonkwo, a hyper-masculine tribal leader. He represents an extreme example of the Umuofian view of women and the role of women in their society.

Okonkwo has three wives, as is allowed in Umuofian culture. Women do not hold power in the tribe in terms of government or leadership. Men are allowed to beat their wives. Okonkwo, though, gets in trouble for hitting one of his wives during Peace Week. The other tribesmen agree that that beating is warranted; it is simply not allowed during that week. Therefore, most of the time, violence against women is condoned.

Okonkwo's attitude comes in part from his father. Okonkwo has a troubled relationship with his father, whom Okonkwo sees as lazy and unproductive; therefore, his father is not masculine. Okonkwo, on the other hand, is famous for his cultivation of yams, which "stood for manliness" (33) because a successful farmer is hard-working and a good provider. Okonkwo's obsession with manliness affects his relationships with his children as well. He feels closest to his daughter Ezinma, but she is lesser because she is a girl; he wishes she were born a boy instead. His son Nwyoe, on the other hand, is more sensitive and less manly than Okonkwo wants him to be.

About halfway through the novel, Okonkwo's masculinity is seriously questioned. He accidentally shoots and kills a man at a funeral celebration. The accidental nature of the act makes it a "feminine crime." This is obviously humiliating for Okonkwo. He is exiled to his motherland for seven years. While he is there, his mother's tribesmen point out to him that even though women are seen as less important in Umuofia, in Mbanta, "the mother is supreme" (134). This is because children look for sympathy from their mothers; the mother represents protection, which is important. The people of Mbanta emphasize the balance between male and female roles, while Okonkwo represents an extreme version of masculinity that is even beyond what his own tribespeople value or practice.

Do women occupy a secondary position in Igbo society according to Things Fall Apart?

As a novel, Things Fall Apart shows the reader to what extent the binds that hold the tribe together and keep it functional fall apart in response to the pressure exerted by the missionaries and the district commissioner. By implication, one needs to understand that the complex organization of the clan, its belief system, its traditions, and its system of justice are all intricately bound together in order to create harmony and order within the clan.

The complex role played by women in the clan contributes greatly towards maintaining order and harmony within each family unit as well as the clan. However, this may not be recognized immediately, as women are initially portrayed as powerless individuals who need to submit to the control of the Igbo men in this patriarchal society.

Igbo society is highly structured, with men at the powerful head of the clan. This can be seen in the way in which the clan is organized and how it makes important decisions. Powerful role players within the clan are titled men, the Egwugwu (more men), and the gods and goddesses of the clan. Women are not immediately recognized as being represented among the powerful groups of the clan.

The position and influence of women is initially shared with the reader through Okonkwo’s eyes. One must not mistake this as the Igbo perspective of women; rather, one needs to recognize the limitations provided by Okonkwo’s perspective. Women are viewed as physically weaker than men. Men, the powerful warriors of the tribe, are the head of the household. The number of wives a man can marry and provide for represents his power, wealth, and influence in the tribe. As such, women are a commodity. Part of Okonkwo’s success is displayed by his large family: he has three wives and ten children. The fact that he can successfully provide for this large family and control his wives and children supports his image as a powerful, masculine warrior.

Achebe makes it clear that Okonkwo “ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” (chapter 2). The inferior status of Okonkwo’s wives—and, by extension, Igbo women—can also be noted in the way Okonkwo metes out discipline when his wives have displeased him in some way or not followed his instructions. This can be seen when Okonkwo beats his youngest wife, Ojiugo, during the Week of Peace because she neglected to prepare dinner before going to have her hair braided. Note, too, the incident where he shoots at his second wife, Ekwefi, in a fit of rage.

These violent outbursts are not entirely out of place in the clan, which supports the view that women are of a lower status than the powerful men. Okonkwo angers the priest because he beat Ojiugo during the Week of Peace, not because he beat her at all.

The way Okonkwo treats his wives, his children, and other men around him, as well as the way he approaches his farming and all other tribal activities, stems from his fear of being thought to resemble his father. The acute shame and embarrassment he felt when a playmate told him that his father was “agbala” haunts him still:

That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title. (Chapter 2)

Being viewed as “womanlike” is clearly a great insult. This certainly shows that women are broadly viewed as inferior to men in the Igbo society.

Achebe devotes quite a bit of time to discussing the marriage traditions of the Igbo people, and it becomes clear that women are viewed as valuable commodities. The groom’s family must negotiate a bride price to compensate the father of the bride when marrying one of his daughters. All these major decisions and negotiations are done by men. Having beautiful daughters ready to marry also provides a father with a certain amount of power. This can be noted when Okonkwo asks Ezinma and her sister to prepare themselves for marriage only once the family returns to Umuofia after his exile.

Ezinma, an innovative, outgoing child, is still viewed as less valuable than Okonkwo’s sons. Okonkwo wishes that she had been born a boy. If she had, she would have been able to fulfill the role of son, which Okonkwo feels Nwoye is unable to fulfill.

The yam, viewed as the king of the crops, was a crop planted and tended by men. Women were placed in charge of coco-yams, beans, and cassava, which were viewed as female crops. The strength of a man’s yam harvest and the wealth of his barn reveals his power and success. This avenue is not made available to women, as they are relegated to only growing women’s crops. The distinct roles of caring for children, growing only certain crops, and serving their husbands reinforces the perception of women as inferior to men within the clan.

However, the Igbo do still value women significantly. This can be noted in terms of the tribe's spiritual connection to the environment and the important role mothers play within families.

Consider Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, the oracle of the hill and the caves, who wields great power within the clan—so much so that even the stubborn Okonkwo meekly obeys her instruction to hand over his daughter Ezinma.

In terms of the environment, the Igbo consider the earth to be their provider and, as such, the divine mother figure. The earth goddess, Ani, is considered to be “the source of all fertility”:

Ani played a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. And what was more, she was in close communion with the departed fathers of the clan whose bodies had been committed to the earth. (Chapter 5)

Uchendu further emphasizes the importance of women and mothers when he admonishes Okonkwo’s attitude toward his exile. Okonkwo is welcomed by his mother’s clan when he is sent into exile, and it is here that Uchendu reminds Okonkwo and the reader,

A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. (Chapter 14)

Clearly—as caretakers, life-givers, nurturers, and representatives to the divine—women are essential to the balance of life in Igbo society.