MIGRATION AND GENDER RELATIONS AMONG MIGRANTS IN MADINA

ABSTRACT

Public interest in migration has been on the increase in response to a shift in perceptions on migration among other factors. Migration research has since the 1980s increasingly acknowledged and highlighted a wide range of issues related to one of the key features of contemporary migration flows. They indicate that in the area of destination, migration can have great impact on the gender roles performed by both males and females. Moreover, role reversal usually hurts the ego of males, which may lead them to react in a violent behavior towards their partners. However, recent attention has been given to children and wives left behind with little focus on the family in general. The present study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the influence of migration on gender relation/roles among migrant couples. Fifteen interviewees from Madina, Accra - a migrant community participated in the study. The findings indicate that most of the couples before migration were involved in their traditional gender roles which were breadwinning roles and household headship among the males while the women were also involved in domestic work and social reproduction. However, after migration, some of the men said their traditional roles had changed and that they have now perform roles such as washing, cleaning and cooking. Again, some respondents also said that these changes in roles have created tensions and frictions in their relationships. The study recommends that concrete efforts should be tailored towards educating migrants prior to migration to alert them on the changes and uncertainties of migration.