North-South Internal Migration: Gendered Experiences and Coping Strategies of Left-Behind Spouses in Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

There is scant scholarly attention on the gendered experiences of left-behind spouses living in the same socio-cultural environment in the context of internal migration. This study therefore compared the gendered experiences of left-behind wives and husbands in Northern Region of Ghana. Using Sequential Explanatory Strategy approach of mixed methods, the study purposively sampled 400 left-behind spouses from four administrative districts in Northern Region of Ghana. The study adopted Connell’s theoretical model of gender and power to explain how the structures of gender division of labour and power in Northern Region have influenced the gendered experiences of left-behind husbands and wives in terms of their roles, power relations, benefit, challenges and coping strategies. The findings show that there is male dominance in household decision-making because of strong adherence to biased socio-cultural division of gender power relations such as patriarchy in the study area. The autonomy of left-behind spouses to participate in the household decision-making varies based on sex and associated gendered power relations. The pattern of gendered power relations in decision-making varies according to family structure and place of residence. The impact of spousal migration on changes in gender roles is also wrought by strong adherence to gender division of labour which, does not allow men to perform roles considered to be feminine. As a result, roles of migrant spouses are often assumed by family members of the same sex as the migrant spouses rather than the left-behind spouse. However, a higher proportion of left-behind spouses in nuclear households and in urban areas are able to assume the gendered roles of their migrant spouses. The study also found that the entrenched imbalances in the distribution of gender roles and power impacted on the benefits and challenges of spousal migration and in the ways that husbands and wives cope with the absence of their spouses. The study therefore concludes that changes in gendered roles and power relations are not only affected by migration of spouses but, mediated by other factors such as socialisation on cherished socio-cultural values, modernisation, and social changes in family and community structure. The study therefore recommends that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, National Commission on Civic Education and other civil society organisations should embarked upon education and other sensitization campaigns. These activities should be geared towards informing the residents of the study area and similar communities on the need for socio-cultural transformations aimed at reducing their adherence to discriminatory cultural practices such as strong gender divisions in labour and power relations.