Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0003-6329-9644
Abstract
The birth of a girl child in most African societies automatically signals the arrival of another procreator. Her role is assigned long before birth: she is to be a woman, a wife, and a mother whose nurturance continues until death. Motherhood demands nurturing children alongside the husband, and most myths tie a woman’s relevance to this single role. To ensure undivided attention to this occupation, societies empower the virtue of patience. As a result, many African narratives corroborate the ideology of delayed gratification, encouraging women to give excessively toward a distant future when children may return the favour. Little attention has been paid to the signals of dissatisfaction, regrets, and pain women bear along the way. To reveal the counter-balance between motherhood and mothering, this study adopts a radical feminist stance to explicate the need for mental equilibrium in women’s nurturant responsibilities. It examines motherhood as portrayed in Goretti Kyomuhendo’s Secrets No More and Waiting to reveal the illusion in delayed gratification and the need for balance while fulfilling the holistic role of a mother. The paper submits that while motherhood is a socially veritable venture, it can adversely affect women’s comfort if not well managed.
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Recommended Citation
Olayiwola, Mopelola R.
(2026)
"Motherhood and the Illusion of Delayed Gratification in Gerotti Kyomuhendo’s Waiting and Secrets No More,"
Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies: Vol. 26:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/wagadu/vol26/iss1/6