Question

How did the women Republic came into existence

Answer 1

The inferior status of the Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was embedded in the indigenous social system, reinforced in the colonial era and still prospers on today.  This general lack of respect for women, has caused them to be used as objects, more specifically weapons, in one of the most deadliest wars since World War II.  Over 5 million people have died in the last decade as victims in the Congo civil war, yet it still remains one of the most under-broadcasted tragedies of today.

Role of Women

Women in the DRC today still struggle to gain positions of equality and remain hindered by laws that illustrate the subordinate position of women in the society.  Although, since the Mobutu regime, there have been steps of progress towards women gaining more legal rights, such as the right to own property, and the right to participate in the economic and political sectors of the society.  Still, there are laws that remain in existence which demand that “a married woman must have her husbands permission to open a bank account, accept a job, obtain a commercial license, or rent or sell real estate. Article 45 of the civil code specifies that the husband has rights to his wife’s goods” (CIA world Fact book) even if the wife initially claims separate ownership to her own possessions.  Laws such as these that are still in effect today, sustains the repressive roles of women and revokes the significance of their voice. 

Rural Women

Traditionally, women are responsible for the domestic work, tending to the family and children and performing laborious tasks around the house such as harvesting and agricultural work.  They are often encouraged to remain in the domestic sphere and not venture out to receive an education nor attain wage paying jobs.  In effect, this causes women to be socially impaired in comparison to men, who usually have received at least some type of minimal education and have control over money dealings, ownerships and political negotiations.  The steady deterioration of the Congo’s economy has led the government to support the increase in producing more cash crops  of coffee and quinine