IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v22y2025i6p876-d1669555.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Soil Eating as a Psychological Coping Strategy for Women in Rural African Patriarchal Contexts

Author

Listed:
  • Libopuoa Notsi

    (Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa)

  • Mamochana Anacletta Ramatea

    (Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa)

Abstract

In African patriarchal contexts, women have borne the dual responsibilities of mental and physical caregiving for their households and communities. These responsibilities often contribute to significant emotional, social, and economic burdens imposed by deeply entrenched gender and power structures. Alternative psychological coping mechanisms emerge to navigate these challenges, some deeply rooted in cultural and historical practices. One such practice is soil eating, which has been observed in various African communities. Historically linked to cultural and spiritual beliefs, soil eating has been largely unexplored from a psychological perspective. This paper examined soil eating as a coping strategy among women in Africa, investigating its role as a means of emotional relief, resistance, or a symbolic reclamation of agency in the face of oppression. Drawing on the indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) of eZiko siPheka siSophula as a psychological framework, this study engaged sixteen women aged 20 to 89 in Ha Makintane Lesotho to participate in focus group discussions and reveal their personal narratives, cultural traditions, and the intersections of gender, race, and class to understand how this practice helps them manage their mental and emotional toll of patriarchal dominance. This research contributes to discussions on resilience, survival, and the psychological strategies developed by marginalized communities, shedding light on the complex interplay between cultural practices, mental health, and gendered experiences of power.

Suggested Citation

  • Libopuoa Notsi & Mamochana Anacletta Ramatea, 2025. "Soil Eating as a Psychological Coping Strategy for Women in Rural African Patriarchal Contexts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(6), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:6:p:876-:d:1669555
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/6/876/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/6/876/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siyao Liu & Bin Yu & Chan Xu & Min Zhao & Jing Guo, 2022. "Characteristics of Collective Resilience and Its Influencing Factors from the Perspective of Psychological Emotion: A Case Study of COVID-19 in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Chidiebere J. Onwutuebe, 2019. "Patriarchy and Women Vulnerability to Adverse Climate Change in Nigeria," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440198, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aysen Simsek Kandemir & Ramshah Rashid Lone & Rasim Simsek, 2024. "Women in Parliaments and Environmentally Friendly Fiscal Policies: A Global Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-27, September.
    2. Abisola Osinuga & Brandi Janssen & Nathan B Fethke & William T Story & John A Imaledo & Kelly K Baker, 2021. "Understanding Rural Women’s Domestic Work Experiences (DWE) in Ibadan, Nigeria: Development of a Measurement Tool Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Ayansina Ayanlade & Isaac A. Oluwatimilehin & Oluwatoyin S. Ayanlade & Olajumoke Adeyeye & Sa’adatu Abatemi-Usman, 2023. "Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change and farmers’ adaptation responses in Kwara and Nassarawa States, Nigeria," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Christina T. Kwauk & Olivia M. Casey, 2022. "A green skills framework for climate action, gender empowerment, and climate justice," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(S2), October.
    5. Aneela Sultana & Mahwish Zeeshan & Sohima Anzak, 2022. "A Phenomenological Analysis of Rural Women’s Childbirth Preferences," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    6. Thaddaeus Obaji Ariom & Elodie Dimon & Eva Nambeye & Ndèye Seynabou Diouf & Oludotun Olusegun Adelusi & Sofiane Boudalia, 2022. "Climate-Smart Agriculture in African Countries: A Review of Strategies and Impacts on Smallholder Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-32, September.
    7. Ifeoma Q. Anugwa & Agwu E. Agwu & Murari Suvedi & Suresh Babu, 2020. "Gender-Specific Livelihood Strategies for Coping with Climate Change-Induced Food Insecurity in Southeast Nigeria," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(5), pages 1065-1084, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:6:p:876-:d:1669555. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.