Inonge is 13 years old. She is the eldest of five children and has four younger brothers. They live with their mother, father, and paternal grandfather in a small house in a semi-rural area near the town of Pemba in Southern Zambia, where she attends a local school. The situation at home is not easy for Inonge. Her mother and father work on local farms, but they have to travel a long way and return late. Her grandfather is at home most of the time but does very little to help around the home. He believes looking after the home and the children is women’s work. Inonge, as the eldest girl, is expected to look after the younger children when she gets back from school, supervise the boys’ homework, clean, prepare the evening meal, and get her homework done. She has very little time to be with others of her own age. Her father is very strict and, like his own father, believes that he should be looked after by the women in the home. He seldom talks to Inonge except to give her instructions. When he is not pleased with something she has done, he tends to complain directly to his wife and not to Inonge. At the moment, he is also having a difficult time at work, where he is threatened with losing his job. This is creating a lot of tension in the household, so that Inonge’s father is drinking more than usual, and often loses his temper. Inonge is like her mother, who tends to be quiet and unassertive. Although Inonge gets on well enough with her mother, she seldom gets much support from her when tension is high. By nature, Inonge doesn’t find controlling the boys an easy task. The four boys also identify strongly with their father and grandfather, and she doesn’t get much help or support from them either. In any case, even in her mother’s eyes, the boys tend to be the favoured ones. Apart from all this, the other children do not generally see Inonge as one of them. She has to supervise and control them, so they see her more as another adult than a sister. Because of this, she often feels quite isolated and alone in her own family.

Question

Inonge is 13 years old. She is the eldest of five children and has four younger brothers. They live with their mother, father, and paternal grandfather in a small house in a semi-rural area near the town of Pemba in Southern Zambia, where she attends a local school. The situation at home is not easy for Inonge. Her mother and father work on local farms, but they have to travel a long way and return late. Her grandfather is at home most of the time but does very little to help around the home. He believes looking after the home and the children is women’s work. Inonge, as the eldest girl, is expected to look after the younger children when she gets back from school, supervise the boys’ homework, clean, prepare the evening meal, and get her homework done. She has very little time to be with others of her own age. Her father is very strict and, like his own father, believes that he should be looked after by the women in the home. He seldom talks to Inonge except to give her instructions. When he is not pleased with something she has done, he tends to complain directly to his wife and not to Inonge. At the moment, he is also having a difficult time at work, where he is threatened with losing his job. This is creating a lot of tension in the household, so that Inonge’s father is drinking more than usual, and often loses his temper. Inonge is like her mother, who tends to be quiet and unassertive. Although Inonge gets on well enough with her mother, she seldom gets much support from her when tension is high. By nature, Inonge doesn’t find controlling the boys an easy task. The four boys also identify strongly with their father and grandfather, and she doesn’t get much help or support from them either. In any case, even in her mother’s eyes, the boys tend to be the favoured ones. Apart from all this, the other children do not generally see Inonge as one of them. She has to supervise and control them, so they see her more as another adult than a sister. Because of this, she often feels quite isolated and alone in her own family.

Inonge is not doing very well at school. Although she is bright, her homework is often poorly done, or not done at all, and she often feels tired in class. The principal and the majority of teachers in this school see school and home as separate – a view that is generally held in this community as well – so that little is done to build bridges between the two. Inonge’s own class teacher has never enquired about her home circumstances. He is an authoritarian teacher who rules the class very critically and strictly. Thus, a common pattern that has developed in this class is for the teacher to be critical of the students, and the students to be critical of one another. Because Inonge is criticised for her poor scholastic performance and wants to make up for it, she takes on the role of ‘teacher’s helper’ whenever she can. Unfortunately, the teacher often exploits this. It has also not helped her in her peer relationships. The class of 45 children is more or less evenly divided between boys and girls, who are seated in separate rows. The boys and girls tend to have separate friendship groups. The boys tend to dominate and are especially critical of the girls. Because Inonge is quiet and unassertive, the other girls are also critical of her and tend to boss her around. Also, while most other children have friends from around their homes in the class, she has had little time to make such friends, so she tends to be quite isolated in the class.

1. Mention and discuss two factors in Inonge’s home and class that make her situation difficult
2. What factor outside the immediate home situation negatively influences the family at the moment? How do you think this affects Inonge?
3. How would you describe the relationships and divisions in the class and Inonge’s position in them?

Answer 1

1. Inonge faces two main difficulties in her home and class. Firstly, at home, she is burdened with the majority of the household responsibilities as the eldest girl in a family of five children. She is expected to look after her younger siblings, supervise their homework, cook, clean, and manage her own schoolwork, all while her parents are absent or preoccupied. Additionally, her father and paternal grandfather hold traditional beliefs about gender roles, expecting women to take care of domestic duties. This places a significant amount of pressure on Inonge, as she is expected to fulfill these roles at a young age, leaving her with little time for herself or her studies.

Secondly, in her class, Inonge faces criticism from both her teacher and peers. Her teacher is authoritarian and critical, contributing to a negative classroom environment where students are not encouraged or supported. Inonge tries to improve her academic performance by taking on the role of the teacher's helper, but this is often exploited by the teacher. Furthermore, the class dynamic is divided along gender lines, with boys dominating and being critical of girls. Inonge's quiet and unassertive nature makes her a target for criticism from both boys and girls, leading to her feeling isolated and misunderstood in her class.

2. Outside the immediate home situation, the factor negatively influencing Inonge's family at the moment is her father's struggles at work. He is facing the threat of losing his job, leading to increased tension and stress within the household. This, in turn, causes her father to drink more and lose his temper, creating an even more difficult environment for Inonge to navigate. This external factor impacts Inonge by adding to the overall instability and tension in her home, making it even harder for her to focus on her studies and personal well-being.

3. In the class, there are clear divisions between boys and girls, with separate friendship groups and dynamics. The boys tend to dominate and criticize the girls, creating a hostile environment for Inonge and her female classmates. Inonge's position in the class is that of isolation and vulnerability, as her quiet and unassertive nature makes her a target for criticism and bossing around from both boys and girls. She lacks the support of peers and struggles to find her place within the class due to the negative dynamics that exist.