Women Speak Out! A Report of the Pacific Women's Conference. October 27 – November 2
New Hebrides
New Hebrides
What is the position of a woman in the village? According to New Hebridean custom, a woman's place is always in
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the home. She is there to look after the children, prepare
food and all the domestic stuff. When a girl is born into
the family she's automatically trained to be in the home with
the mother and to help out on domestic work, and from
then up to now, whenever a baby girl is born, fathers are
usually sad and cross because they would rather have a boy so
that he can follow the footsteps of the father. They reckon
that when the girl grows up she won't be able to do what the
man can. (But if they were here today, they would see the
difference!) Decisions by any mothers in the home are always
finalised by the father. For example, I told you about the
two different systems of education, so we have British and
French schools. Here then, the father decides which child
is to attend which school. The mother has no say, because
she has no power over her husband or they might differ.
In Tonga women have traditional duties but when visitors came women generally retire.
“A woman is never independent from the time she is single and through marriage.” (Solomon Islands)