Abstract

In early African male fiction, women were not allowed to go to school. They were pushed to the periphery where they occupied marginal spaces. They had no voice in public. They were expected to perform household duties concerning childbearing and domestic functions. These are roles that domesticated women and made them dependent on their husbands for survival. However, urbanization and the spread of female education has given women more space and opportunities for survival and livelihood. In addition to culturally assigned roles, women are now educated and have acquired skills which enable them to have paid jobs and pursue a career in different walks of life thereby rendering them economically empowered and making positive contributions to the growth of their communities and families.  This blend of domestic activities and pursuing a career is not without its own challenges. This article aims at examining the politics of reconciling career and domestic activities through the prism of Alobwed’Epie’s Patching the Broken Dream. It looks at the challenges that women/widows go through as wives, mothers and being career women. It reveals how the woman/widow rises above these challenges and reconstructs her image. Informed by the womanist ideology of Micere Mugo, E Modupe Kolawole and Chikwenye Ogunyemi, this paper justifies the view that domestic activities and career in the novel under study is challenging for women especially widows. However, these challenges do not limit the woman. They make her strong and develop hidden potentials that change their perception about life and people’s view about women and widows.