The undue pressure experienced by women who are either single or married with no child, especially a male child often regarded as the status symbol of womanhood and/or motherhood in many societies in Africa, has indeed resulted to variant strategies adopted by these women for survival in their given contexts/settings. Some of the strategies include promotion of subcultures like the acquisition of 'spare husbands', single motherhood as a fad, same-sex marriage for the sole purpose of procreation and sustenance of family lineage. This study attempts a critical interpretation of the representations of the dynamics of female gender survival techniques against identified forms of discrimination and stigma in selected contemporary African novels. The methods of psychoanalytical interpretation, analytic induction and new historicism are relevant to the study. The work projects the nature and dynamics of these trends and influence on people and culture, as well as society. The study concludes, amongst others, that the identified subcultures have the potentials of fueling crises and conflicts within families and societies; its impact includes loss of self-identity, place and/or home, and life, among many others.
Keywords: Womanhood, Motherhood, Survival strategies, and African culture.