The Nexus of Female Capital and North–South Labor Migration in Ghana

Abstract

The phenomenon of female head-load portaging in the large commercial cities of Southern Ghana has become a social canker. This article explores the role access to capital plays in the labor relocation of women from northern to Southern Ghana to engage in street head-load portaging, with the goal of examining the potential of microfinance to reverse this trend. Using a phenomenological study design and semi-structured interviews of 15 migrant women porters in Accra, the results revealed that lack of access to capital is a major determinant in the labor migration decisions of female head porters. Also, the study revealed that migrant female porters have a strong desire to obtain capital from microfinance versus savings from head-load portaging. The implications for positive social change include informing development practitioners and policy makers of the importance of microfinance as a prospective remedial policy to address the phenomenon of north to south female labor migration that contributes to the head-load portage syndrome and the inherent degradation this occupation creates for women in Southern Ghana.

Premium exemptions and active health insurance membership among teenage migrant head porters in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

“…"Kayayei" is considered a small form of trading culturally understood as being women's work-head-load carriers are selfemployed, informal sector workers. These migrant adolescent girls carry loads of goods on daily basis on their heads in the commercial cities to enable them raise money to help improve their economic fortunes (Tufeiru, 2014).…”

“…Alatinga (2019) reported that only 36% of migrant adolescent girl head porters were able to remit to their families back home, with amounts ranging between US$18.5-55.57 annually. In addition, the physical nature of their work and the poor circumstances under which these adolescent girls work and live expose them to several health risks including malaria, skin diseases, aches and pains, accidents, injuries, rape and unwanted pregnancies as well as physical abuse (Awumbila & Ardayfio-Schandorf, 2008;Tufeiru, 2014). Also, their low incomes may prevent them from enrolling onto contributory social protection schemes such as the NHIS, which aims to ensure equity and universal access to health care for the poor and protect them against the costs of illness (National Health Insurance Act, 2012(ACT 852), 2012.…”

Access to Healthcare and Health Seeking Behaviour among Female Head Porters in Kumasi, Ghana: The Impact on Public Health

“…For example, [5] argues that the youth in Africa are always moving as they desire to migrate from rural areas to urban areas in search for better opportunities and greener pastures. In this regard, most rural dwellers in Africa, such as Morocco and Ghana, see ruralurban migration as a survival strategy to withstand harsh economic conditions in rural areas [5; 6].…”

Stakeholders Opinions of Health-Related Conditions of Female Head Porters in Kumasi/Asokore Mampong

“…The involvement of mostly women in head porting could be due to the fact that women from Ghana are used to head porting as they often carry goods from the farms to their homes and sometimes from the homes to the markets [3]. Irrespective of the proliferation of automobiles which has reduced the burden of women, most rural women still engage in head porting business as their main means of transport [4].…”