Men:
It was expected that men would win titles in battles, as Okonkwo did
in a patriarchal society with prescribed gender boundaries, Okonkwo enjoys seeing Ezinma challenge her role and behave more like a man
the novel is set in a patriarchal society, where men are often feared. Nwoye challenges all that is important to his father and cannot change his ways in order to please him
Both Okonkwo and Obierika comment about the death of another tribesman who was inseparable from his wife, which was deemed unmanly and weak.
polygamy and patriarchy are accepted in this culture. Men would father numerous children to increase their status.
Male crops - king of yams = represents power and wealth, it is also more difficult to grow
Women:
despite the way some are treated, women play an essential role in Igbo society.
A woman’s position would be determined by how many children she bears and how many of them are male. Therefore, Ekwefi was determined that Ezinma survives and was desperate to bury her iyi-uwa (evil spirit)
Igbo culture and tradition placed a wide division between male and female roles and responsibilities. Women were expected to take care of the children and livestock and to perform womanly duties, such as cooking and cleaning
despite their harsh treatment of women, the men demonstrate loyalty to them, such as when the clan refer to the woman murdered by another village as a ‘daughter of Umuofia’. Traditional ceremonies and town meetings are held to discuss issues
Women were important when performing duties during rituals, such as during the wine-drinking ritual
Domestic violence was an accepted part of the culture
customs and traditons in relation to the role of woman are evident throughout the novel, such as ceremonies, marriage negotiations and Umuofian ritual, such as a bride’s costume and jewellery, the use of sticks to determine a price the groom should pay, and the drinking of palm wine.
the traditional and cultural background is inherent in everyday life, such as the way in which the ‘Senior wife’ or ‘Nwoye’s mother’, is never named. A mother is always known by her eldest child’s name
some women in Igbo society are respected and important, such as the ‘senior’ wives and the women who paint the houses of the egwugwu; at Nwakibie's obi, when his first wife has not yet arrived, ‘the others could not drink before her’
in Igbo culture, the death of a woman who dies before a husband’s death can be announced, but it is considered suspicious if the woman dies shortly after her husband. The wife must be buried before the death of a great warrior is announced
daughters are sold to suitable suitors. The price is negotiated through discussion and the ritual of passing sticks, representing numbers, between the bride’s family and the groom’s relatives.
The subservience of women is the norm. For example, when a case of mistreatment and beating of a woman goes before the elders they wonder ‘why such a trifle should come before the egwugwu’
when Okonkwo beats his wife during the ‘Week of Peace’, the village fear that this violation could jeopardise their crops for that year. At other times, domestic violence was commonplace and there was widespread disregard for women’s rights in Umuofian society. Women were marginalised and subservient
Some women have power, such as the priestess and Okonkwo’s daughter, Ezinma.
Okonkwo's wives
Okonkwo’s relationship with his wives is violent as he rules his ‘household with a heavy hand’; Okonkwo beats his wives and they are subservient to him.
The wives live in ‘perpetual fear’ of Okonkwo and ‘dared not complain’ the mother of Okonkwo’s oldest son, Nwoye, is Okonkwo’s ‘senior wife’ (who is never named); when Ikemefuna is brought to the village, Okonkwo orders her to ‘look after him’ and to do as she is told
Okonkwo provides for his three wives, making his wealth visible to others; his obi (hut) is behind a gate in the red wall and his three wives each have their own hut behind it. Nwoye’s mother has a good relationship with Ekwefi, who is his second wife each of the wives prepares a dish for Okonkwo’s meal, which are served in turn
Ekwefi is the mother of Ezinma; she left her first husband to be with Okonkwo; Ekwefi is beaten when she takes some banana leaves from Okonkwo’s plant
when it is feared that Ezinma is dying, Okonkwo demonstrates a kinder side of his personality by preparing medicine for her and supports his wife, Ekwefi, by waiting with her at Agbala’s (the Oracle’s) cave
Ojiubo is his third and youngest wife and is mother to several of Okonkwo’s children; Okonkwo violates the ‘Week of Peace’ when he beats Ojiubo; he beats her because she has her hair braided rather than prepare her dish
Okonkwo fears being weak, like his father; in an attempt to appear strong he is controlling, abusive and insensitive to his wives.