Ghana Social Science Journal

Early marriage in northern Ghana: Views from parents of married adolescent girls

Elizabeth Anokyewaa Sarfo, Joana Salifu Yendork, Anthony Vernon Naidoo — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:54:14 +0000

This study presents parents’ (N=8) reasons for marrying off their daughters early, and their reactions to and perceptions of the implications of their daughters’ marriage. Using a generic inductive qualitative method to analyze the data collected, findings revealed parents’ reasons for marrying off their daughters were grounded on an interplay between cultural norms, parents’ diminished authority over their daughters and early pregnancy. The influence of modernity and oppositional behavior of their daughters in addition to economic, cultural and religious factors were also identified as reasons for the early marriage of daughters. The benefits and negative implications of early marriage for both parents and their daughters are also discussed. Findings provide insight into understanding parents’ motivations and perceptions that impact the practice of child marriage in Ghana.

Women representation in national elections in Ghana since independ-ence: An appraisal

Maame Adwoa Appiaah Gyekye-Jandoh, William Kofi Osew — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:49:26 +0000

Even though women represent 50.7% of Ghana’s population, there are currently only 41 women in Ghana’s Parliament. Indeed, in Ghana’s 9th Parliament of the 4th Republic, the 41 women Members of Parliament (MPs) represent a paltry 14.9 percent of the 276 total Members, which is a far cry from the Beijing Platform for Action’s 30% threshold for women. This gross underrepresentation of women is despite various efforts to improve the representation of women. Using a descriptive analysis and employing data compiled from the Election Research Resource Centre-Ghana, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union among others, the authors critically appraise the issues surrounding women representation in national elections in the country, with a special focus on the trajectory of women’s representation in national elections since independence, the challenges faced by women in this regard, and the prospects for increased women’s representation. The paper argues that tackling the chronic underrepresentation of women in national elections in Ghana will require bold steps regarding affirmative action policies, gendered electoral financing, building inclusive political party structures, education and training, as well as the re-socialization of society. There is also the need for a review of the 1992 Constitution to better promote the representation of women more broadly in national leadership, in particular, national elections.

In a man’s world: exploring women’s perceptions and motivations for entering into traditionally male-dominated occupations in Ghana

Rita Boateng, Ernest Darkwah , Benjamin Amponsah, Aidatu Abubakari — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:51:49 +0000

Women’s participation in the labour market is increasing globally, with many women entering traditionally male-dominated occupations (MDOs). In Ghana, while this trend represents a departure from existing gender norms and practices, there is a lack of scientific insights into the perceptions and motivations that drive women to enter these workspaces. This study explored women’s perceptions and motivations for entering MDOs in Ghana. Data was gathered through interviews and focus group discussions with 40 women working in the construction, engineering, automotive mechanics, and commercial driving sectors. Thematic analyses of the data revealed that women perceive these occupations as gender-neutral (reflecting a seeming paradigm shift) and embrace them as opportunities to challenge traditional gender norms. External factors such as training programmes and support for gender inclusion, alongside internal motivations like passion and personal interest, were found to drive these career choices. The findings highlight evolving gender ideologies in Ghana and emphasize the role of advocacy and structural support in advancing gender equality in the labour market.

Carbon markets as green extractivism: Land governance, indigenous rights and livelihoods

Charles Amo-Agyemang — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:56:06 +0000

This paper critically examines how market-based environmental strategies within the broader discourse of green colonialism and its current facet of green extractivism reconfigure land governance and indigenous rights and livelihoods. The paper posits that REDD+ based carbon forest development activities deployed under the global imperative of carbon sequestration reinforce neoliberal environmental governance and dispossess indigenous people and commodify nature. The paper therefore explores the socio-political dynamics of green colonialism and its current facet of green extractivism in the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Volta and Northern regions of Ghana targeted for capitalist carbon markets regime. In doing so, this paper questions the ontological dispossession catastrophism embedded in green capitalist logics of accumulation by employing political ecology and decolonial theoretical framework to examine how and why green colonialism and its current facet of green extractivism take the form they do in Ghana. It concludes by calling for resistance and counter-narratives grounded in ecological justice and indigenous sovereignty.

Funerals in a time of crisis: COVID-19 and funerary practices in Ghana

Fidelia Nana Akom Ohemeng, Mark Kwaku Mensah Obeng, Stephen Afranie — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:35:12 +0000

Funeral rites in Ghana are central to social cohesion, cultural identity, and beliefs about the transition to the spiritual world. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these practices through restrictions on social gatherings and ritual performance. This study examines how bereaved families among the Akan and Ga navigated these disruptions. Using a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with families in selected urban and rural communities in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions. Thematic analysis revealed that key funeral practices—including one-week observances, family meetings, laying-in-state, and final funeral rites—were modified, postponed, or simplified. Attendance was significantly reduced, limiting communal mourning and financial contributions. Families adapted through private burials, delayed ceremonies, and, in some cases, digital practices such as live-streaming and mobile money transfers. Despite these adjustments, participants expressed dissatisfaction with restricted funerals. The study concludes that while COVID-19 temporarily altered funeral practices, the cultural significance of funerary rites among the Akan and Ga remains resilient.

Myths, misinformation, and perception of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among market women in Ghana

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:31:41 +0000

Scepticism of the COVID-19 vaccine is a chronic issue influenced by myths, misinformation, and attitudes. Market women, a critical part of the informal sector in Ghana, may have special barriers to vaccination. Understanding their behaviour regarding vaccines is important for creating suitable health promotion strategies. A mixed-methods approach, including quantitative and qualitative methods, was used in the study. A cross-sectional survey of 324 market women, including 35.5% from the New Market and 64.5% from the Old Market, was conducted in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality. Statistical tests, including chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and thematic approaches, were used to examine the sociodemographic risk factors, perceptions, and social media’s role in vaccine demand in a climate of vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy is influenced by demographic factors such as low education, marital status, and social media misinformation. Additionally, women with low perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 and concerned about vaccine side effects were more likely to be hesitant. Logistic regression analysis showed that women who believed in myths and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination were four times more likely to be hesitant. Developing effective strategies to reduce vaccine hesitancy should prioritise addressing women’s misconceptions.

Fear of COVID-19, perceived organisational support, and turnover intentions among nurses: Mediating roles of work-family conflict and subjective well-being

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:43:59 +0000

We aimed in this study to examine how work-to-family conflict and subjective well-being mediate the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived organisational support with turnover intentions among nurses in Ghana. We used a self-report anonymous cross-sectional survey design. During the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana (between January and September 2021), a total of 330 registered nurses working in both rural and urban settings recruited through purposive and convenience sampling strategies responded to a web-based structured questionnaire survey. We analysed the data using structural equation modelling. The results showed that perceived organisational support had a significant direct relationship with turnover intention whilst fear of COVID-19 was not directly related to turnover intention. Fear of COVID-19 and perceived organisational support had significant indirect relationships with turnover intention via work-to-family conflict and subjective well-being. The findings underscore the importance of managing pandemic-related fears and fostering organizational support in retaining nurses during health crises.

Cancer-specific coping strategies, psychological distress, and health-related quality of life among women with breast cancer: A mediation analysis

Nuworza Kugbey — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:47:27 +0000

Cancer-specific coping strategies influence psychological wellbeing and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among women living with breast cancer, but the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain poorly understood, particularly in low-resource settings. This study examined whether anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between cancer-specific coping strategies and HRQoL among women receiving breast cancer treatment in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 205 women receiving care at a tertiary hospital. Participants completed the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast questionnaire. Pearson correlation and mediation analyses using Hayes’ PROCESS macro with 5,000 bootstrap samples were performed. Helplessness-hopelessness and anxious preoccupation were associated with poorer HRQoL and greater anxiety and depression, whereas fighting spirit, cognitive avoidance, and fatalism were associated with better HRQoL and lower psychological distress. Anxiety and depression significantly mediated the relationship between helplessness-hopelessness and HRQoL, while depression mediated the association between anxious preoccupation and HRQoL. Both anxiety and depression mediated the relationships between fighting spirit and cognitive avoidance and HRQoL, while depression mediated the relationship between fatalism and HRQoL. Integrating psychological assessment and psychosocial interventions into oncology care may promote adaptive coping, reduce distress, and improve quality of life.

The oxymoron of our times: Exploring how dysfunctional organizational leadership can serve as a catalyst for employee growth

Inusah Abdul-Nasiru, Eric Delle, Robert Mensah, Daniel Ofori — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:13:29 +0000

Despite the evidence from prior studies indicating that toxic leadership behaviour may potentially impede employee outcomes, research on the potential association between this leadership behaviour and employee growth has received limited scholarly and practitioner attention. Based on the Conservation of Resources theory, we argue that employees may undergo growth in the face of adversity. We investigated the direct impact of toxic leadership behaviour on posttraumatic growth stress, as well as the potential mediating effect of employee resilience and emotional intelligence on toxic leadership and posttraumatic growth stress, respectively. An anonymous and confidential online survey approach was utilised, and a total of 942 participants voluntarily completed it once. The participants were recruited from a diverse range of occupational contexts within the Ghanaian work context. The measures were found to be psychometrically sound in the study. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggests that toxic leadership behaviour, emotional intelligence, and resilience functions as a significant positive predictor of posttraumatic growth stress. Toxic leadership was associated with reduced resilience and emotional intelligence among employees, and toxic leadership behaviour impacted posttraumatic growth stress through emotional intelligence and resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings have been discussed.

Eurobonds and Africa’s new debt crisis: The experience of Ghana’s 2022 debt default

Kwame Asah-Asante, Abdul Hakim Ahmed — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:34:39 +0000

Despite benefiting from over US$ 100 billion in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) less than two decades ago, many African states are back into another cycle of debt crisis. While existing studies on this current Africa’s indebtedness have highlighted and blame problems mainly relating to Chinese debt trap diplomacy and the general fragility of African economies in response to external shocks such as COVID-19, very little, if any has been done regarding the issuances and mismanagement of Eurobonds in the last decade and half. This study seeks to fill that important gap in the literature using Ghana as a case study. Utilizing documentary data including those from the IMF, World Bank, African Development Bank and other governmental and non-governmental sources and using neoliberalism as a theoretical lens, we conclude that the nine issuances of Eurobonds and misapplication of their proceeds under successive governments in Ghana between 2007 to 2021 is largely to blame for pushing the Ghanaian state into this current bout of debt crisis with grave implications to the economy and poverty reduction. This conclusion contradicts popular narrative within academic, political and policymaking arena that pinned the blame of the current debt crisis mainly on COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese collateralized loans, among other reasons.