G²LM|LIC- Differential Earnings, Household Division of Labor and Fertility Choices: An Application of the “Doing Gender” Hypothesis in Ghana

The study employed both purposive and snowball sampling techniques for the selection of its participants. Participants were obtained from the Ashanti, Northern, Volta, Greater-Accra and Upper East regions. The sample selection was intended to reflect the five major ethnic groupings in Ghana, based on the country’s 2010 population and housing census which considers Akans, Mole-Dagbani, Ewe, Ga-Dangme and Gurma as the five major ethnic groupings in Ghana. Participants from these ethnic groups were therefore sampled from across the regions where they are more likely to be concentrated. There are noticeable differences in socio-cultural norms and economic practices among women from the northern (i.e. Northern and Upper East regions) and southern (i.e. Greater Accra, Ashanti, Volta regions) parts of the country. Traditional gender roles tend to be more pronounced in the northern, compared to southern regions, and women tend to carry out a larger proportion, if not all, of domestic chores. With respect to economic practices, in northern Ghana, poverty is more pronounced and gender inequality is more pronounced. This is typically demonstrated by higher incidences of early marriage, lower female enrollment rates and lower labor force participation.

The sampling strategy used provides the opportunity to capture the diversity in the culture and norms concerning attitudes and perceptions regarding the distribution and dynamism of household responsibilities and how it relates to women’s empowerment and other related outcomes. The study relied on in-depth life-history interviews and key-informant interviews to obtain the required information.

In each region, ten (10) couples and two (2) key informants- male and female- were interviewed. In total, 110 respondents (50 couples and 10 key informants) made up the sample size. To capture heterogeneity in responses, we considered couples from low-, middle- and high-income brackets. In each region, five of the life-history interviews were conducted in urban areas while the other five were held in rural areas. All couple interviews were conducted separately although the interviews for both spouses were conducted simultaneously. The study relied on semi-structured interviews to elicit information from participants. In those localities where the researchers did not speak the local language, interviews were conducted with the assistance of interpreters. All interviews were carried out in the homes of the participants and were audio recorded with the permission of the participants.

Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and translated verbatim into English from the local languages. For interviews conducted in English, audio recorded data were transcribed. Analytic rigour was ensured through comparisons of notes and recordings taken during the sessions with respondents. Thematic analysis was used to organize and categorize the data according to patterns and structures that connected the themes. Thematic analysis was performed by identifying, analysing and reporting themes across the narratives. After a careful examination of the data, codes were generated and themes were developed from the text. An inductive approach was therefore adopted in the development of the qualitative codes where research findings were allowed to emerge from the frequent or dominant themes contained in the data. To ensure accuracy, initial themes were checked by other researchers on the research team.

The researchers carefully considered all the ethical issues involved in conducting research. Clearance for the study was obtained after going through ethical review by the Ethics Committee for the Humanities, University of Ghana. Consent was sought from all participants before proceeding with the study. Anonymity of participants are ensured by using pseudonyms to identify each respondent.