Men are poor but women are poorer: Gendered poverty and survival strategies in the Dangme West District of Ghana

Abstract

In contemporary times there has been a broader definition of poverty to include not only economic deprivation such as income, but also various forms of vulnerability such as lack of dignity and autonomy. The paper seeks to bring out the multidimensionality of poverty from the perspective of both men and women in the Dangme West District of Ghana, through their day-to-day experiences of poverty and how this leads to different livelihood strategies among men and women. It is argued that gender inequalities, the patriarchal system and the traditional gender roles of women create a situation where women's experiences of poverty tend to be more severe than those of men. The author recommends that specific policies geared towards poverty reduction must address the needs and concerns of both men and women. Thus, men and women must be involved in defining projects that reflect their local realities and this must be backed by vigorous gender sensitization and awareness programmes. Engendering poverty reduction programmes with gender sensitization and awareness programmes will go a long way to address patriarchal attitudes and gender inequalities that create poverty particularly among women.

Keywords:

• gender
• Ghana
• poverty
• survival strategy

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the NUFU project of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for providing financial support for the research work in Ghana. Special thanks are due also to Professors Elisabeth Ardayfio-Schandorf, Ragnhild Lund and Stig Jørgensen for their valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Notes

1. DWDA. 2003. Three Year Medium Term Development Plan of Dangme West District Assembly (2002–2004). January 2003. District Assembly reference document.

2. At the time of the study, Ghana was using a different currency than today, i.e. old cedis, and USD 1 was equivalent to 10,000 old cedis. Today, USD 1 = 1GH new cedis (10,000 old cedis).

3. Initials have been used to preserve the informant's anonymity.