Thorny the paths they tread, Zimbabwean women and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A womanist reflection

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Thorny the paths they tread, Zimbabwean women and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A womanist reflection
 
Creator Chataira, Tekweni M.
 
Subject Biblical studies; Womanist Theology; Womanist hermeneutics; African theology COVID-19; women; Zimbabwe; gender-sensitive; Bible; womanist; hermeneutics; seMadzimai; gender equality; Africa
Description This study investigated the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the women of Zimbabwe. Drawing from womanist perspectives, the study reflected on pastoral care, gender equality and proposed new ways of engaging the Bible while recognising the impact of hermeneutics on lived realities. The research examined situational analysis reports from government and nonprofit organisations, journal articles and other academic sources focusing on various aspects of Zimbabwean women’s contexts. Womanist perspectives were engaged to provide parameters for the reflection and the recommendation of alternatives that have potential to contribute towards the enhancement of women’s lives. The study revealed a significant economic impact on those in the informal sector, which is largely occupied by women. Moreover, during periods of lockdown, there was a significant increase in the cases of gender-based violence (GBV), intimate partner violence (IPV) and child marriages. Churches were also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted their operations even though many continued in their efforts to make a positive contribution to their members and society at large. While many churches had to discover creative ways to provide pastoral care for their flocks, when it comes to the complex challenges such as GBV, IPV, rape and child marriages, there is a lack of evidence demonstrating the church’s practical attempts towards addressing them.Contribution: This paper suggests that gender equality and the employment of gender-sensitive biblical hermeneutics are alternatives that have real potential to contribute towards efforts targeted at safeguarding the liberation, well-being and flourishing of women during the pandemic and beyond. It also introduces seMadzimai, a womanist African-Zimbabwean Bible-reading approach.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2022-12-12
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v78i2.7594
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 78, No 2 (2022); 10 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7594/23775 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7594/23776 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7594/23777 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7594/23778
 
Coverage Zimbabwe Africa — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2022 Tekweni M. Chataira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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