A Comparative Study of Time Management Practices among Dagaaba Households in Akoro and Jirapa

Abstract

The study was conducted in Akoro and Jirapa in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The aim of the study was to find out how Dagaaba households in the rural and urban settings use their time to accomplish their goals. It was hypothesized that: HOi. There is no significant difference between the time management practices of rural and urban Dagaaba households. H02 There is no significant difference between the time management practices of Dagaaba households who work in the formal and informal sectors. A proportionate sample of seventy-five households representing three communities from Jirapa town and a simple random sample of seventy-five households from Akoro village were interviewed using structured interview schedules. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC) software to generate frequency and percentage distributions. The presentation of the data is mainly descriptive using tabies where appropriate. The chi-square statistic was used to test the two Null hypotheses. The results revealed that homemakers from both study areas operated with mental plans. Homemakers started their day by 4.00 a.m. and ended late at night around 11.00 p.m. Daily responsibilities of household members were carried out at different times of the day. For the purposes of this study the day was divided into four time blocks. Household chores were normally carried out during the morning and evening time blocks while the afternoon time blocks were used for economic and occupational activities. Domestic work was performed solely by homemakers and female children or relatives, while spouses spend much of their time for occupational or leisure activities. Homemakers hardly had any labour saving devices, rest or leisure. Funerals were major interruptions to household time use. However, household members used such strategies as mental planning, dovetailing and division of work to facilitate their time management. The chi-square analyses revealed a significant difference between the time management practices of rural and urban Dagaaba households; hence the null hypothesis (HOi) was rejected. Similarly, there was a significant difference between the time management practices of Daggaba households who work in the formal and informal sectors, therefore the Null hypothesis (H02) was rejected. It is recommended that extension work be intensified to educate homemakers on how to organize and use their time, so that they can make time for leisure and rest.