RISK AND RESILIENCE: GHANAIAN (AKAN) WIDOWS AND PROPERTY RIGHTS BY ROSE KORANG-OKRAH DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Wendy L. Haight, Chair and Director of Research Associate Professor Min Zhan Associate Professor Gale Summerfield Professor Joseph Ofori-Dankwa ABSTRACT This qualitative phenomenological study investigated Akan widows‟ lived experiences of widowhood, widowhood rites, violations against their property rights and the protective resources they employ to survive. The dissertation also explored how the widows make meaning out of their experiences. Twenty widows were selected. They ranged in age from 30 to 81, rural/urban dwelling, education, monogamous/polygamous marriage, different widowhood experiences, Christian/Muslim and employed/unemployed status. Participants were drawn from 2 towns and 2 cities in 2 regions in Ghana. Through collaborative, communicative interviewing tools, the widows provided descriptions, perspectives and the meaning they make out of their lived experiences. Findings confirm that Akan widows‟ vulnerability is directly connected with the social location of Akan women based on the gendered socialization and culturally asymmetrical roles in marriage; culturally gendered challenges they face during widowhood, lack of property and poverty; and the conflicting stipulations of the plural legal systems in Ghana. Factors identified as supportive resources for widows‟ continuous survival include religiosity/spirituality, economic stability, social capital/networks and self-sufficiency. The findings also show that, all but 5 widows were struggling financially and personally. The implications of the findings in relation to policy and practice are discussed, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study. KEYWORDS: Widowhood, widowhood rites, social location, property rites, matrilineal lineage. ii I dedicate this doctoral study to very important people in my life. I dedicate this dissertation to my family. To my husband, Michael and our children, Paa, Nana, Papa, Maame & Naa Sei, I cannot imagine finishing this work without you. Your love, care, and encouragement; your trust in me that I could do it; your wonderful prayer support, time and contributions served as a driving force for the completion of this dissertation. I dedicate this doctoral study to the memory of my parents, Anthony Kwasi Osei and Grace Adwoa Afra, who instilled in me the value and importance of education. Maa Afra, you never entered the classroom but you knew the importance of education for your children. Thank you, Mom. To you widows out there, especially the 20 Akan widows who shaped the structure and body of this dissertation with your astounding stories, I dedicate this work to you. Thank you all for your various contributions to make me the person I am today. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this thesis has been quite a journey! In the process, I have incurred many debts of gratitude from wonderful people who lent support in one way or the other towards my doctoral journey. I am highly indebted to my academic advisor, Dr. Wendy Lea Haight, who also doubled as chair of my dissertation committee, for her warmth, guidance, nurturing, intelligence and wonderful advisory responsibilities during the process. I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the other members of my dissertation committee, Drs. Min Zhan, Gale Summerfield and Joseph Ofori-Dankwa. Your constructive comments, input, assistance and patience have been a huge asset to me and this dissertation. This study could not have been completed without the support and assistance from my family, friends and colleagues. In particular, I would like to thank my husband and children; Mike, Paa, Nana, Papa, Maame and Naa Sei for being so patient, yet very much involved in the stages of this thesis, especially the data transcription and translation which helped the timely completion of this project. Special thanks go to my friends and colleagues, especially, Drs. Nora Few and Kathryn Margaret Sheridan, for their friendship, caring and support throughout my doctoral journey. Wonderful friends, you lent a hand and a shoulder. Thank you! I would like to give special thanks to the West African Research Association (WARA), Women and Gender in Global Perspectives (WGGP, U of I), the School of Social Work, Mrs. Christobel Sanders and Dr. Wendy L. Haight for the financial support they offered me for my field study and data collection for this study. To the Dean, faculty, staff and students of the School of Social Work, I say, I am especially grateful to you all for your various and varied contributions that prepared me to be the person I am today. To my other instructors from various disciplines; Educational Psychology, Educational Organization and Leadership, Human and Community Development, Gender and Women Studies and Women & Gender in Global Perspectives, whose wonderful instructional skills shaped my focus, broadened my knowledge and understanding towards the achievement of my educational goal, I am grateful to you. Finally, my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude go to the three women leaders who introduced me to the 20 courageous widows who shared their time, perspectives and stories so truthfully, bravely and generously with me. My thoughts and best wishes go out to you all. God Bless. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2 GHANAIAN SOCIO-CULTURAL AND FAMILY SYSTEMS: THE PLACE OF AKAN WIDOWS ................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS: RISK FACTORS (CHALLENGES) CONFRONTING WIDOWS 51 CHAPTER 5 RESULTS: PROTECTIVE SOURCES FOR WIDOWS‟ FUNCTIONING ..... 79 CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 125 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 136 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW GUIDE ..................................................................................... 146 APPENDIX B MAP OF GHANA SHOWING THE AKAN AREAS ................................... 150 APPENDIX C SOME AKAN CULTURAL SYMBOLS IN RELATION TO THEIR PERCEPTION AND BELIEF IN GOD ........................................................... 151 APPENDIX D WOMEN‟S WORKLOAD IN GHANA ........................................................ 152 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Age Distribution of participants ..................................................................................... 41 Table 2: Educational Status of Participants .................................................................................. 41 Table 3: Educational Status and Residential Status of Participants ............................................. 42 Table 4: Type of Marriage Participants were Engaged in Before Becoming Widowed .............. 42 Table 5: Educational Status and Type of Marriage of Participants .............................................. 43 Table 6: Residential and Occupation Status of Participants ........................................................ 43 Table 7: Religious Affiliation of Participants .............................................................................. 44 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Discriminatory property rights laws and andocentric traditional, cultural and social customs have restricted Akan women and many women from many other African cultures, from ownership of assets. Property ownership is the most fundamental instrument to women‟s economic independence, empowerment and libration from abusive relationships (Hampel-Milagrosa, 2009; Joireman, 2006; Pandey, 2003; Roy & Tisdell, 2002). According to Human Rights Watch (2004), millions of women around the world, especially those in developing countries, such as Ghana, suffer abuses of their equal rights to own, inherit, manage, and dispose of property. Within the Akan lineage in Ghana, women may inherit property only through men, typically their husbands, but they lose those rights when their relationships with the men end through death or divorce (Abbas, 1997; Awusabo-Asare, 1990; von Struensee, 2004; Ewelukwa, 2002). Thus, widows from the Akan lineage, especially those in rural areas, frequently lose their possessions and are evicted from their matrimonial homes, leaving them and their children in deplorable conditions. These widows‟ vulnerable situation reflects multiple marginalized identities, lived experiences of subordination, discrimination and oppression (Awusabo-Asare, 1990; Ewelukwa, 2002). Yet, many widows do resist oppression and survive. Understanding the culturally-embedded personal, spiritual/religious, social and legal resources they employ to successfully continue their lives is an important prerequisite towards the development of effective supportive interventions. This qualitative phenomenological