The joys of mother

 This book is titled The Joys of Motherhood, but almost immediately Emecheta begins tracing how motherhood and suffering are inextricably linked. More importantly, the author explores how women are culturally conditioned to believe they are valuable only in conjunction with their children, in turn placing these women in a servant position from which they will not willfully leave because of their biological commitment to their own children. For Nnu Ego and Ona motherhood is anything but joyful. It's a constant reminder of their own seeming powerlessness and inferiority within the system.