Prevalent Ideologies in the Gikùyù Language that Contribute to the Stigmatization of the Involuntary Childless Women

Pamela Mukami Gitu
Department of Literary and Communication Studies, Laikipia University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2023.10607

Received: 30 May 2023; Accepted: 06 June 2023; Published: 05 July 2023

Abstract: In society, discourse is a key tool of power and control. If a woman does not have children within her childbearing years, she is stigmatised by society as a deviant and is expected to bear and raise children. Ideology and discourse are related in that they both come to us through or are reinforced by the language we use on a daily basis. As a result, ideologies are ingrained in the language that individuals employ. Therefore, ideology is utilised to support the dominant notions that stigmatise the involuntary childless woman. The main focus of this paper was on the prevailing notions that support the stigmatisation of involuntary childless women. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Fairclough and Van Dijk served as a foundation for the study. According to CDA, several components such as vocabulary, grammatical structure, and semantics should be thoroughly evaluated, and the study took that into account. Villages in Othaya sub-county, Nyeri County, were selected for the study using purposive sampling technique. They were Karὶma, Mahiga, Chinga, and Kairῠ-thὶ. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and audio recording were both used by the researcher to gather data. Five respondents from each of the four villages took part in the FGDs totaling twenty involuntary childless women. After the data was collected, it was audio recorded, examined, and divided into themes. The study will mostly help linguists because it will inform them about how much language may be used to stigmatise social groups and equip them to fight for language change when necessary. This discussion will emphasise how language and ideologies are related and encourage curriculum developers to incorporate lessons on linguistic stigma, which will be useful for researchers who concentrate on gender issues as well. According to the study, attitudes created through language are used to stigmatise involuntary childless women.

Key Words: Ideology, stigma, Involuntary Childless, Gikùyù Language

I. Introduction

The non-Western nations, particularly those in the “infertility belt” of Central and Southern Africa, have the highest rates of infertility in the world (WHO, 2013). The societal and cultural framework of infertility in these societies is partially to blame for this. According to Cameron (2017), the issue affects up to 30% of marriages in resource-poor nations and results in significant suffering. More particular, infertility that is not voluntary affects one in four couples in underdeveloped nations (WHO, 2013). A core group of couples who are infertile for unknown or unavoidable reasons underlies these statistics. According to Cameron (2017), infertility affects at least 25% of Kenyan couples, making it a serious issue for reproductive health.

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