Counselling Basotho women who are caring for their families, in the absence of their husbands.

• Main Author: Lebesa, Theresa M.
• Other Authors: Ward, Edwina Deborah.
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Women > Pastoral counselling of > Lesotho.; Women > Lesotho > Social conditions.; Women > Religious life > Lesotho.; Pastoral counselling > Lesotho.; Church work with women > Lesotho.; Theses > Theology.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10413/5697

Lesotho, like any other country in the world, has suffered economic problems that saw many Basotho able-bodied males migrating to the Republic of South Africa, in search of employment since the nineteen century. The mass exodus of men to become migrant workers left a vacuum of responsibilities at home, which women and men used to share. This imposition of men's responsibility on women has become a burden which they were never prepared for, and for that reason, many women find it impossible to cope with this double burden in the absence of their husbands. Besides creating disharmony in the family, it has also caused gender clashes between women and their husbands who will not let go their role of headship ofthe household. Rather than let their wives take over full responsibility ofthe household, in their absence, husbands feel threatened and try to be in charge of the household through 'remote control', while in the mines. Because many men refuse to affirm women in their new responsibility, results in a big crisis for women, who feel that their husbands do not respect and trust them. The purpose of my research, therefore, is to try and address women's crisis through counselling. Because many of these women are members of the church, I feel the church faces the biggest challenge to alleviate the women's crisis through counselling. It is my hope, then, that women in turn, will avail themselves of counselling finding it a good tool to deal with their crisis. === Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.