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''You just look at our work and see if you have any freedom on earth'': Ghanaian women's accounts of their work and their health

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  • Avotri, Joyce Yaa
  • Walters, Vivienne

Abstract

Research on women's health in the developing world has focussed on reproductive issues and has defined women primarily as wives and mothers. Moreover, women's health problems have typically been defined by experts such as health care professionals and policymakers. The research reported here aimed to capture women's own views of their main health problems and how they explain them. The study was conducted in the Volta region of Ghana, West Africa and it involved interviews with 75 women of varying background and social circumstances. Reproductive health problems did not figure prominently among the problems women described -- almost three quarters of them spoke at length of psycho-social health problems such as 'thinking too much' and 'worrying too much'. These, in turn, were often linked with problems such as tiredness and not being able to sleep. Headaches and bodily aches and pains were also mentioned by many of the women. In explaining the source of these problems, one of the strongest themes in women's accounts was the importance of their work roles. Women spoke of the gender division of labor, their heavy workloads, the 'compulsory' nature of their work, their financial insecurity and the considerable financial responsibility they assumed for their children. These contributed to the worry they experienced and led them into many different work activities. They also talked about specific links between the nature of their work and the health problems they experienced, in particular, the physical toll of their work. We suggest that it is important to document the content of women's work, both paid and unpaid, showing the ways in which it influences their physical and mental health. Women in developing countries have too long been defined as childbearers and their important roles as workers have too often been neglected.

Suggested Citation

  • Avotri, Joyce Yaa & Walters, Vivienne, 1999. "''You just look at our work and see if you have any freedom on earth'': Ghanaian women's accounts of their work and their health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1123-1133, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:48:y:1999:i:9:p:1123-1133
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dixon, Jenna & Luginaah, Isaac & Mkandawire, Paul, 2014. "The National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana's Upper West Region: A gendered perspective of insurance acquisition in a resource-poor setting," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 103-112.
    2. William Amos Pallangyo, 2021. "The informal sector and the safety of female traders in Tanzania: A reflection of practices, policies, and legislation," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-160, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Porter, Gina & Hampshire, Kate & Abane, Albert & Munthali, Alister & Robson, Elsbeth & Mashiri, Mac & Tanle, Augustine & Maponya, Goodhope & Dube, Sipho, 2012. "Child Porterage and Africa’s Transport Gap: Evidence from Ghana, Malawi and South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 2136-2154.
    4. Sorenson, Susan B. & Morssink, Christiaan & Campos, Paola Abril, 2011. "Safe access to safe water in low income countries: Water fetching in current times," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1522-1526, May.
    5. Rita Watterson & Lynn McIntyre & Krista Rondeau, 2013. "A case of gendered hazards and health effects for ultra-poor women," Chapters, in: Deborah M. Figart & Tonia L. Warnecke (ed.), Handbook of Research on Gender and Economic Life, chapter 28, pages 454-467, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. 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.
    7. Kaiser, Bonnie N. & Haroz, Emily E. & Kohrt, Brandon A. & Bolton, Paul A. & Bass, Judith K. & Hinton, Devon E., 2015. "“Thinking too much”: A systematic review of a common idiom of distress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 170-183.

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