Cameroonian women share opinion on marriage.

Say it's both a negative and positive venture.

Cameroonian women say marriage is both a positive and negative venture. In a vox pop conducted by the herald news paper recently, most of the women prefer to be married, saying marriage brings comfort and respect, and ensures that children are raised in the right way. However, others presented a contrary view. They say they would like to remain single because there is much headache in marriage.
One of the women say no reasonable lady would talk of living a single life because it would mean inviting insults and mockery on her and her children from society. That society looks at single women as outcasts, no matter what some of them would say. She notes that in most cases you are tossed around like a toy by men who would each come with their selfish aims “and so you would lose respect and if you happen to have children, they would always be insulted as bastards. I know that marriage is ordained by God and should be embraced by all” says Serri Charlotte. “I think that marriage is good and it should, under normal circumstances, be the desire of every woman to get married. A married woman is under the shelter of her husband and thus protected from the dangers of the society. Marriage also brings a lot of respect to the woman, her family and friends. In addition I wish to love and be loved and this love is dignifying when you have a husband,” she added.

But Ma Ngebi, sees marriage differently. Hear her, marriage is hell. Life is a matter of choices and I would not blink to tell you that I would prefer to remain single for life. I know it may baffle many people but I wish they could really understand the hell in marriage. I would prefer living my life alone to imprisoning and enslaving myself in the name of marriage. I cannot accept anything that would threaten my liberty,” That she pref ares to live a single life because it gives much pleasure staying alone. She concludes: “I am saying so because I lived with a man before and the experience is not worth re-living. Men are obstacles to progress. They can promise you heaven on earth but will never fulfill their promise. I don’t think I would like to share my life with any man again. I have learned to be responsible for myself and to work hard so as not to depend on anybody”.

On the other hand, Beatrice Ngono, feels undecided. She however says she would like to get married but quit whenever it becomes uninteresting. Hear her, “I would not know if it would be better staying single or being married since I have never been married before. But my desire is to get married. I currently live alone but I don’t think it is good for me. I have my freedom but I still feel that I am lacking in so many ways. I would like to get married but if I don’t find it interesting, I would not hesitate to quit”.
Like Serri Charlotte, Eteke Yoland, would like to get married for as she puts it “ marriage is a command from God that needs to be respected by all”. Adding, “It is written in the Bible that a man would leave his parents and meet a woman and the two would become one. This is God’s command and I cannot but abide by it. Besides being a command from God, marriage brings a lot of respect to the woman and above all joy and peace to the couple. This is because the two would easily have solutions to life’s problems that are inevitable”. She also believe marriage is natural thus people should not pretend to want to prefer remaining single in life? “Is it not said in the Holy Bible that marriage is honorable to God? He even says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from Him. If God the Creator can appreciate marriage, it therefore means it is something good. Also, a married woman has a lot of protection from her husband and their children enjoy parental love which is not the case of children from a single parent”.
While stating that she likes to be a house wife, Josephine made it clear that marriage is good. Hear her “I love to be called a housewife, have children and be under the control of a man. I think married women are respected by everyone in society and protected from society’s numerous ills. Marriage also brings peace and joy especially if the husband is God-fearing”.
Others say they would prefer to be married because it brings change to a person’s life. To Martha,”this can either be in one’s way of dressing, walking, speaking or choice of friends. This would obviously make the person evolve which is what really matters in life. She agues that an unmarried woman would not care about such things, “after all, who would question her why she is doing what she is doing?” while noting that marriage is a command from God, Martha vowed never to keep away from what God has ordained.