Young fathers in Ghana are expanding the meaning of manhood

As the world strives to achieve the goal of gender equality, it is widely acknowledged that working with men and boys will help. Men must be involved in gender equality programs as fathers, community members, and partners. This is how we can achieve and sustain progress. It is also essential to build these programs on local, specific “ways of being man.” This cultural understanding of gender norms provides clues on how to change behavior for the benefit of everyone.

In Ghana, studies on gender show that having a biological baby and being able to provide for family members is a significant part of what it means to be a man. Traditionally, men were expected to lead, protect and provide for their families, while women were expected to take care of the housework and children. Men tend to dominate and control their children and partners, sometimes leading to domestic abuse.

Studies show that women are more likely to work outside of the home. Research started to show, over two decades ago, that women who work outside the home contributed to the family income by performing household chores like cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes. Studies from more recent times have shown that urban young men with a high level of education are also involved in household chores.

The traditional gender practices in the household are no longer feasible as the number of women working outside the home grows. The study of the expectations of Ghanaian fathers provides a unique opportunity to examine fathers’ potential adoption of new norms and to explore tensions between fathers and dominant masculinity ideals in non-Western settings.

My research contributes to understanding changing gender norms in the home. I studied the current practices of young fathers living in rural and urban areas. I spent ten months conducting interviews, discussions, and observations with mothers and fathers, community leaders, and health workers in Accra and the Afram Plains.

Emerging masculinities do not threaten men, and they do not make the notion of masculinity based on biological children and being able to provide for them go away.

The Ways to Be a Man

In my study, I found three ways young fathers from Accra and Afram Plains can be men. Marriage was the first important marker for boys of their adulthood. Men are expected to support their partners. Thirdly, men should have their biological offspring. These expectations are similar to Ghanaian gender norms emphasized in many social science studies.

In addition to cultural expectations, men in my research expressed that they thought leading their families in an equal partnership was essential.

This is how one father in the rural sample summarized it:

In the past, men treated women as if they were commodities. Things have changed. All of us are equal. We respect each other and live in harmony.

Men in rural and urban areas also said that to treat your partner as an equal and respect her, you must have all of your children with her and not cheat on her.

This was a surprising finding, especially in the Afram Plains. Traditional gender practices have been associated more with rural areas than urban ones. It was a surprising finding, particularly in the Afram plains, as traditional gender practices were associated with rural rather than urban areas.

Most men in Accra talked about their time spent with their partners and kids and their involvement in child and maternity welfare services. Men in the village did not attend maternity services or discuss spending time with their partners and children. However, some men were seen carrying their babies to the local healthcare facility.

Men were once mocked when they did “women’s work,” such as housework and childcare. The study participants said they made a conscious decision about how they treat their partners and what they do for their families.

Emerging Masculinities among Ghanaian Fathers

Men in my study spoke about treating their partners equally and sharing household responsibilities. These changes in household norms and practices signal a change in family life. The traditional family forms that support the authority of fathers and husbands could be undermined as masculine ideals are expanded so that they can perform tasks previously reserved for women.

These Ghanaian males show that masculinity does not have to be toxic, violent, or discriminatory. What fathers do to support their children and partners opens up new ways and opportunities for engaging boys and men in gender justice.