When road transport in Kenya came into being and automobiles introduced as a result, a story is told of how a Kikuyu woman could escort her husband to the bus terminus carrying a chair for the husband to sit on as he waited for the bus.
The wife would remain with the husband till the bus arrived. She would then carry the chair back home.
However, in modern times this is unheard of as it would even be considered absurd. The story is only narrated to just show how a Kikuyu woman was committed to her husband.
But nowadays some Kikuyu men not only do the household chores but are also left to perform other tasks considered to be strictly women's.
So, what happened to the 'submissive' Kikuyu woman who treated her husband like a king? Well, many argue that things have changed, so should people. However, that is not the only factor as enumerated below.
1. Forgotten culture and westernization. Save for a few, not many Gikuyu maidens know what is expected of them by the time they get married. Many mothers have left their girls to learn how to treat their future husbands from books and propagators of women rights.
As a result, a majority of such girls get into marriage with a distorted mentality about the role of a wife in a Kikuyu traditional homestead.
2. Men have become irresponsible. It is said that to whom much is given, much is expected from them. If a Kikuyu man wants to be treated like the traditional one, he must rise to the occasion.
This is not the case though as some Kikuyu men have shunned their traditional role of being the breadwinner of the family. This leaves the woman with little options.
3. Women empowerment. The Kikuyu woman has been very responsive to empowerment issues that seek to have women become independent. The woman has also become a breadwinner which means that the man can no longer expect to be treated as before.
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