Women and men at the traffic lights: Changing face of street water vending in a developing country city, Accra

Abstract

Poverty and unemployment are critical challenges that confront Ghana's economy, and thus contribute to the burgeoning informal economy. Although more men are employed informally, women tend to dominate certain activities like water vending. Focusing on the experiences of female and male sachet water vendors along the traffic lights of the arterial road connecting Adenta to the central business district (CBD) of Accra, this article argues that exploring the activities of water vendors provide a lens into the gendered division of labour and informal (self) employment in Ghana. The findings indicate that water vending dominated by females is flourishing, and has attracted some male entrants and several other trade along the traffic lights. Averagely, men sell 20 bags daily less than what women sell (30 bags), equal to 900 pieces of sachet water, indicating their contribution to the booming sachet water business in Accra. The findings also show that, while men earn about Gh¢ 25 daily, many women are the sole providers with an average daily earnings of Gh¢ 35, which is almost 6 times higher than the daily minimum wage (DMW). The study concludes that, male vendors are, thus, provided with opportunities to refashion gender relations and values in a way that may both impede but may also promote a more egalitarian gender order. This nuanced analysis of Accra's street vendors increases our understanding of how men and women respond differently to occupational crossovers and their activities may contribute to informed renegotiations and reconceptualisation of informality, poverty, and gender.