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

Ahmed Tufeiru
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Ahmed Tufeiru: Argosy University, USA

Journal of Developing Societies, 2014, vol. 30, issue 1, 91-114

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.

Keywords: Ghana; labor migration; head porters; microfinance; migrant women (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:30:y:2014:i:1:p:91-114

DOI: 10.1177/0169796X13504680

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