Gendered Strategies among Northern Migrants in Ghana: The Role of Social Networks

Abstract

The migration trends from Northern to Southern Ghana is not a new phenomenon and it is
rooted in historical antecedents. Migration scholars in Ghana have attributed these migration
trends from an economic lens, arguing that migration has become a household strategy to
diversify incomes. However, little research has focused on social networks serving as
migration channels for migrants in the informal sector. In view of this, this paper explores the
gendered strategies and social networks that the northern migrants use to gain access to the
labour market. This study used a qualitative approach. Primary data was collected using the
in-depth interview tool. A sampled population of 58 (37 women and 21 men) migrants from
Northern Ghana to the Greater Accra Region (Madina), constituted the respondents. Findings
indicate that integration and assimilation of migrants into their new community is a function
of ethnicity. Strong and weak social ties facilitate migration differently. Whereas the former
facilitates migration, the latter offers an enduring support for new migrants in searching for
jobs and accommodation on arrival. The study concludes that knowledge of how social
networks organize gender strategies within the migration continuum is important for policy
intervention to close the poverty gap between North and South.