Date: June 4, 2024
Time: 10 – 11 a.m.
Format: Hybrid
Venue: Vari Hall 2101 (York University)
Women in Ghana, as in many parts of Africa, face serious socioeconomic and health barriers daily: Not only do they have limited access to land, credit, healthcare, and other social protection programs, but they also do most of the household activities tied to family upkeep, while still working outside the home to eke out a living, however precarious that may be. There are indications that the COVID-19 pandemic affected women more than men in Ghana, and the situation is worse among women in the informal sector, where social protection is acutely lacking. As in most parts of Africa, the informal sector in Ghana is the sphere of women, many of whom trade in various commodities, including bushmeat. Even though trading in bushmeat has long been a major livelihood activity for women in Ghana, we know very little about the health hazards implicated in the trade, just as we have little knowledge of the exposure of women bushmeat traders to zoonotic diseases. This presentation examines the factors undergirding women’s livelihood challenges and opportunities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the experiences of women bushmeat traders in Ghana. More specifically, it explores how COVID-19 affected these women, emphasising the structural and cultural dynamics that foster or otherwise undermine their efforts to make a living during and after the pandemic. We also examine the coping strategies used by these women to sustain their resilience in the context of the pandemic. The presentation is part of IDRC’s Women RISE initiative—a global research project on women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 recovery.
The Research Team/Presenters:
- Professor Charlotte N. Wrigley-Asante; Dr. Fidelia Ohemeng; Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu; and Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Mensah—all of the University of Ghana, Accra. Ghana.
- Dr Emmanuel A. Odame, Ghana Ministry of Health, Accra, Ghana.
- Professor Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s NL.
Organizers: Professor Joseph Mensah & Professor Sylvia Bawa, York University