what is the point of this article please?

Very accurate, dramatic and interesting portrait of women's position in many parts of the Third World.

Considering the steady stream of negative reporting provided to
individuals in developed countries, this article helps put life into perspective.

Very insightful, to say the least.

The Economist at its best. I knew women like that in Africa who toiled allday to keep their family afloat. The men by contrast were usually useless. if they thought the women wasnt coping they accused her of laziness and neglect and married another one.

Some guys in this world are having their cakes..or Bananas beers and eating them.

I had thought that I knew what the term "Third World" meant, until I went to Tanzania in '03. I quickly found out that I had no concept of the reality.

How many of Burundi men are like this? To take only extreme example is misleading.

This article is very offensive, and certainly not up to the high standard that the Economist has set for itself. I am especially surprised, because it almost exactly mimics an article by Kristof in the New York Times a couple of months ago that was also solidly derided. The Economist owes an apology to the men and women of Burundi. Citing an example of one impoverished family does not demonstrate any attempt to display professional journalism on the part of your magazine. You have painted Burundi's men to be syphilis infested drunks, when any reasonable person should know the actual situation is much more nuanced. The author of this feeble attempt at journalism should quickly draft an apology.

@ KaushiK:

lol cry more, loser.

Keep up the great work, Economist.

The position of women in many African countries has always been enderrated. Women are what keep the communities alive, they have many of the responsibilities and yet they don't have the same human rights as their men. Traditions and customs take away many of the human rights.

Slavery is often cited as the root cause of irresponsible male behavior in black families in the United States. It seems there is an older cultural propensity too.

While I have heard stories like this from other people who have been to africa, they have often said that this type of behavior is often limited to one village, or one tribal group, etc. I know that Burundi is a small country, but the Economist could at least put up a few numbers if it's going to make this a blanket statement about the entire country. That being said, I currently work in micro-finance, and the vast majority of the industry tailors its efforts at rural women because it has been shown that they have a higher tendency to act responsibly with the money and act for the benefit of the entire family. This has led to a common joke where people wonder at what point in economic development does the situation change from the woman being ultra-responsible to spending all her husbands' money on shopping? (please take this in jest, i know most woman are hard working, but i always thought it was a funny comparison :)