Dynamics and Continuities of Childcare Practices and Behaviours among Parents in Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

Traditionally, complementary childcare arrangements and practices in Sub Saharan Africa and specifically Ghana depend on the reliance on networks of support from the extended family. This kind of informal arrangement provided the needed support for the growth and social development of young children. The communality of childcare provision as expressed in sayings such as “it takes a whole village to raise a child” further emphasised the belief that apart from kin, other members of the community also help to provide childcare. However, in contemporary times, cultural, social and economic changes resulting from migration, monetisation of the economy, urbanisation, education, and women’s work in formal spaces have undermined the traditional notions and practices of care. To this end, social relationships have been affected in a number of ways that have resulted in a situation where childcare is provided by kin or ‘strangers’ or a combination of kin and strangers, and institutions. At the global and national level, policies have been implemented to support the well-being growth and survival of children. Both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) have laid emphasis on health and survival of children. Despite the relevance of childcare, most of these policies have not paid adequate attention to care and the way in which it is provided. There is paucity of research on the dynamics and continuities of childcare practices. In this regard, this study examined this phenomenon by: a) examining the nature and types of childcare arrangements in three geographical clusters in Accra; b) describing the range of factors influencing parental choices of complementary childcare arrangements c) identifying the ways by which care has been commercialised and d) exploring the challenges associated with childcare provision. It is a qualitative study which uses mainly ethnographic methods of data collection such as in-depth- interview, Focus Group Discussions to collect data from parents with children aged 0-4 years, caregivers in Dzorwulu, Madina Estates and Nima. Stakeholders such as Officers from the Department of Social Welfare and Househelp Recruitment Agencies were involved in data collection. Two theories, namely, the Social Capital and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological theory were applied to the study. These theories complement each other because it provides the background that in the context of failing informal network of support for childcare, what other forms of networks are parents creating to support childcare and how are these promoting the social development of children. The study revealed four types of care arrangements in urban households, and elements of commercialisation irrespective of the kind of care used. The study further discusses the challenges associated with childcare such as complications with the overreliance of unknown caregivers in the socialisation of children, recruiting processes, unreliability of caregivers. The study recommends the need for policy makers to see childcare provision as an issue of great importance since the future of a country relies on its ability to properly socialise its young