Female Shoemaker Breaks Down Barriers

By Talent Katsande

“I never stopped believing in myself after I was left alone with the kids,” seasoned Nyasha Chimbaza slightly grinning, as she unfold her story on how she become a breadwinner after being neglected by her husband.

Despite being abandoned by her husband, she remained brave, determined, solid and concrete as she is working tirelessly day and night for her three children after her husband left for fine young ladies of the town.

“I had no other alternative except to work for my own children, although I encountered many problems as an independent mother, I had to stand firm and work extra hard because I did not want them to grow up begging like street kids,” she said.

She is performing above her standard as a female shoemaker in Kuwadzana luring at least 50 clients per day requesting for her service, which according to some shoemakers is jaw dropping number of clients in a day.

Nyasha is a living testimony of most female breadwinners who are using their own hands to work for their families without depending on their male counterparts.

Traditionally, society views women as house wives and rarely as breadwinners, however, in recent years, thanks be to global feminism movements and gender equality empowering women as some women are now at the front working in relationships such as marriages and families.

Zimbabwe is one of the countries with citizens surviving on hand and mouth without a functional economy and this has resulted in societal norms changing as both men and women are now participating in different works for their family’s survival.

Unlike long back where the lines separating gender division of labor was so clear, men were dominant and entirely responsible for the financial support of the family as “breadwinners” while women used to stay at home nurturing their kids.

More so, the dominance of a men was related to economic factors where men made all decisions but women of today have gained a sense of pride as they can now make their own decisions basing on their economic status.

Most female breadwinners are emanating from societies where their husbands cannot live without having a side chick and as such, some are ending up neglecting their roles as fathers for the love of pleasure leaving their wives and children grieving for an unexpected loss.

However societies underrate with scorn and dismay to independent women, however their existence and persistence should not be looked down at for the future of their children lies in their hands.

My heart bleeds at this kind of misconception where some men are so reluctant to acknowledge women’s statuses as breadwinners because the society continues to idealize and privilege a family structure with a male breadwinner and a female homeworker.

In our contemporary society women are flocking to many male-dominated occupations such as working in industries, bus driving, truck loading and many others while others are breaking the ceiling.

Those who have managed to make it at school are even qualifying to participate in higher ranking jobs such as politics although many are in the informal sectors due limited job opportunities after graduating

Since we are living in an economy that is punctuated by skyrocketing prices of basis commodities, some men are therefore left with no option but to flee to prosperity in our neighboring countries hoping to find a better future.

Following a report that was in the media which stated that there are between two to three million Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa although the numbers cannot be substantiated.

It therefore takes the heart of a loving men to think and have support over his family as many family disintegrations are being caused by husbands who fly abroad neglecting their wives who are ending up resorting to prostitution yet they are just innocent victims of abandonment.

On the other hand, there are quite number of women who have given up on their lives due to emotional breakups to the extent of selling their bodies in order to survive.

Although these kind of women think themselves less likely as bread winners, they have to recognize that the only way they can be safe is to stand up and open a new chapter of their lives.

With a deep sense of sorrow and regret, gone are the days where women used to depend on men, today’s society has groomed women who are independent hence, they should work hard for themselves without changing their morals.