The Evolution of Women’s Positionality in Post-Colonial Lesotho’s Households, Education and Politics: From Being a ‘Child’ to Being a Decision Maker

The duality of the Lesotho legal system seems to have contributed to the evolution of women’s positionality in the post-colonial era, more specifically in households, education and politics. Notably, during the pre-colonial to colonial eras, the place of women in Lesotho was ostensibly exclusively within the household. Their major activities included, inter alia, the reproductive role, preparation of meals, fetching water as well as maintaining hygiene while also obeying all the rules set by the husband, who was considered as the head of the family. Women in Lesotho were customarily considered as ‘minors’ as they could not make any decision without the consent of their spouses. It was only in the post-colonial period that the new image of women in Lesotho was discerned as their position was also reimagined within the patriarchal Basotho nation and community. At the dawn of the post-colonial era, education and paying jobs were supposedly privileges reserved specifically for males, while females were regarded as homemakers whose role was to serve their husbands. It was only after Lesotho’s independence that gradual shifts were seen towards repositioning women in households and extending it to education and politics. Notably, women began accessing higher education; and registered their presence in politics; their role in politics could be traced while their ascension to key positions in places of employment could be felt. In this chapter, authors explore the seemingly changing position of women in Lesotho’s different sectors, primarily in households, education and politics, from being regarded as ‘minors’ to ultimately being acknowledged as decision makers. Document analysis of purposively selected legislation were analysed in order to understand the drivers that led to the shift which resulted in the reimaging as well as the reimagination of the place of women in the post-colony.