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A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe

Thesis (PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics ))--University of Pretoria, 2024.

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Other Authors: Van Wyk, Tanya
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2025
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Van Wyk, Tanya
author_browse Van Wyk, Tanya
author_facet Van Wyk, Tanya
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics ))--University of Pretoria, 2024.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:37.472Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
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publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/102143 A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe Van Wyk, Tanya tmwapfaa@gmail.com Mwapfaa, Tsitsi UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Good wife Theological challenge Cultural practices Gender-based violence (GBV) Rushinga Theology theses SDG-05 Thesis (PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics ))--University of Pretoria, 2024. Zimbabwe has been immersed in gender-based violence (GBV) for a very long time. Reports of cases of GBV, where women and female children are abused, dominate the print media, electronic media and social media. The laws of Zimbabwe are meant to address such challenges. Unfortunately, these laws often fail the women of Zimbabwe because of the misappropriation of culture by patriarchy. In this country, women account for most victims of all forms of domestic violence committed mainly by men who suffer from the effects of toxic masculinity and who have internalised the tenets of patriarchy. Therefore, if women are to be considered human beings too, there is a need to transform this understanding from a familial and societal level where this culture and tradition to manipulate women originates, and is perpetuated. Considering this realisation that change needs to start from a family and societal set-up, this thesis challenged the effects of cultural practices in perpetuating GBV and the way cultural practices exacerbate the physical, social, emotional and psychological scars and wounds that GBV leaves on women’s lives. While acknowledging that there is existing research related to this context, this thesis focuses on how tradition, culture and social norms have affected women and girls in Rushinga (Kore-Kore), Zimbabwe. The reason for this is that the district of Rushinga has not been included as a focus of existing studies and, as the study pointed out, there are challenges related to GBV in this context. A womanist perspective was utilised to approach the problem of how culture is used to undergird gender-based violence in a society with a strong traditional background and to explore traditional and cultural practices which exacerbate violence toward women. It is indicated that women are expected to be good wives, despite their experiences of GBV. A qualitative approach was followed in which data was gathered from fieldwork, which included interviews. The study found that traditional and cultural tendencies such as teaching a girl how to be a good mother and raising them with the idea that they should please men, make women vulnerable and expose them to violence. It is suggested that culture must be aligned within the societal and lawful context of the Constitution and the provisions of the Bill of Rights. Dogmatics and Christian Ethics PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics) Unrestricted Faculty of Theology and Religion SDG-05: Gender equality 2025-04-16T13:09:50Z 2025-04-16T13:09:50Z 2025-04 2024-09 Thesis * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102143 Disclaimer Letter en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Good wife
Theological challenge
Cultural practices
Gender-based violence (GBV)
Rushinga
Theology theses SDG-05
A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title_full A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title_fullStr A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title_full_unstemmed A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title_short A good wife? a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender-based violence in Rushinga, Zimbabwe
title_sort good wife a theological challenge to cultural practices and gender based violence in rushinga zimbabwe
topic UCTD
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Good wife
Theological challenge
Cultural practices
Gender-based violence (GBV)
Rushinga
Theology theses SDG-05
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102143