Abstract:
Public interest in migration has been on the increase in response to a shift in perceptions
on migration among other factors. Migration research has since the 1980s increasingly
acknowledged and highlighted a wide range of issues related to one of the key features of
contemporary migration flows. They indicate that in the area of destination, migration can
have great impact on the gender roles performed by both males and females. Moreover,
role reversal usually hurts the ego of males, which may lead them to react in a violent
behavior towards their partners. However, recent attention has been given to children and
wives left behind with little focus on the family in general. The present study aimed to fill
this gap by exploring the influence of migration on gender relation/roles among migrant
couples. Fifteen interviewees from Madina, Accra - a migrant community participated in
the study. The findings indicate that most of the couples before migration were involved
in their traditional gender roles which were breadwinning roles and household headship
among the males while the women were also involved in domestic work and social
reproduction. However, after migration, some of the men said their traditional roles had
changed and that they have now perform roles such as washing, cleaning and cooking.
Again, some respondents also said that these changes in roles have created tensions and
frictions in their relationships. The study recommends that concrete efforts should be
tailored towards educating migrants prior to migration to alert them on the changes and
uncertainties of migration.
