Portraying Women as the Other: Ndebele Proverbs and Idioms in the Context of Gender Construction

This article seeks to examine the space allocated to women in the Ndebele society using proverbs and idioms as a frame of reference. Proverbs and idioms as part of oral literature constitute a major means of defining women in a traditional set up. A people’s language constitutes their worldview, how they conceive and perceive the web of relations between sexes; what they view as natural and immutable in their ordering of the world. Ndebele proverbs and idioms mirror a particular culture and tradition that imbues a spirit of submissiveness, perseverance and domesticity on women. This article argues that women are given the status of the Other in Ndebele society. Proverbs and idioms articulate the culturally scripted roles of women since this discourse defines gender relations. The language contained therein perpetuates the marginalization of women and relegates them to functional objects.