superior position in society became even more dominant, women began to realize that both the people and the colonial system were significantly oppressing them. They could see that the European settlers to benefit not themselves, but the white man were using their positions as main agricultural workers. Sita Ranchod-Nilsson describes the reason why women supported the guerillas;Because African women were primarily responsible for agriculture and household subsistence in the countryside, they could identify with guerrilla claims that they were fighting for lost lands and an end to economic hardship(p.63).Women in Zimbabwe also realized that the men of their country were dominating them. Their husbands often forbade them to take outside employment, which furthered their subordination. Ranchod-Nilsson said, women supported the guerillas to advance their own agendas. They did this by bringing their grievances against their husbands to the fighters, in order to speak up about their oppression and to ensure more equality within their own homes. Women in Zimbabwe had various roles within the revolutionary parties as well as in the general armed rebellion. In both countries, women supplied food for the fighters and information for the revolutionaries, which included relaying messages. Women were also armed fighters in the revolution. In Nicaragua, women made up thirty per cent of the armed fighters and as we saw in the film and in the articles, many women were in charge of military operations. In Zimbabwe, women formed support committees, which were designed to furnish food and supplies for the guerillas. Although women were doing a lot of the agricultural work, the "real" work was seen as the waged work that men were doing outside of the home. Also, the party focused on a sense of virility, a need to be "tough" which also excluded women. There was also no concern for women's issues within the parties, as small things like late meeting times see...
