What are the factors that create Ghana’s standard of living?

Standard of Living

From the information presented below, I believe Ghana has a medium standard of living. However, I am not entirely confident in my analysis of standard of living. As discussed in earlier posts, I have never traveled outside the U.S. and have had limited contact with other social and cultural environments. There may be a framework for assessing standard of living, but it seems like a subjective term to me at this point. Am I supposed to compare the Ghana’s standard to the U.S., or to other countries which are closer in proximity or closer in culture?

Physical Geography:

Ghana is located in Western Africa between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo, with Burkina Faso to the north. It borders the Gulf of Guinea, which provides accessibility for water travel and the fishing industry. The land is primarily low plains with plateaus in the south-central region.

While the climate is warm and dry on the southeast coast, it is hot and humid in the southwest, and hot and dry in the north. This correlates with environmental factors like the drought in the north that has a negative impact on agriculture. The nation also experiences deforestation, overgrazing, and habitat and wildlife destruction. There is also considerable soil erosion due to harsh northeastern winds from January to March combined with drought. Another major concern that reaches the entire population is water pollution and inadequate potable water supply.

Government System:

The country’s government is a constitutional democracy. Its legal system is a mix of English common law and customary law.

I learned a bit about what customary law means from in this post by Tim Bailey’s blog: http://baileyblogger80.blogspot.com/2012/02/social-justice-in-chiefs-court.html.

The current chief of state and head of government is President John Evans Atta Mills, with Vice President John Dramani Mahama.

Presidential elections are held every four years, with the next election on December 7, 2012. Like in the U.S., the President is eligible for two terms, and the President and Vice President run on the same ticket.  Their cabinet is comprised of a Council of Ministers. There is also a legislative branch with a Parliament, and a judicial branch with a Supreme Court, High Court, Court of appeals, and regional tribunals.

The people elect their President and Vice President through popular vote, which could be considered a freedom. However, the government asserts that homosexuality is illegal in Ghana. This means that there is a lack of freedom for Ghanaians who may otherwise identify as gay, lesbian, and any other non-heteronormative sexual orientation.

Economic System:

Oil production is a new industry for Ghana which started in December 2010. Oil is expected to improve the economy; however, it seems that whenever oil is present a nation experiences some turmoil over power, control, and profit. Sources state that Ghana’s macro-economic practices have improved recently. I am not entirely sure what this means as an individual with little understanding of this field.

2011 estimates state that the gross domestic product was made through services (50.7%), agriculture (28.3%), and industry (21%). The amount of the labor does not reflect the sectors’ product, with 56% working in agriculture, 29% working in services, and 15% working in industry (according to 2005 estimates).

Industries include mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, and small commercial ship building.

History:

Ghana gained its independence from the UK on March 6, 1957.

Different groups of people have lived in the Ghana region over many centuries. The area has an ancient history. Many major civilizations grew and thrived here, and then the British rule began in the early 19^th century. There were resistances, the incorporations of colonies, various leaders, and military coups. According to CIA World Factbook, Ghana is currently considered to have one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

A narrative of dependence has been constructed around Africa and its nations. I am still learning about this, and want to better understand and realize an empowerment narrative for Ghanaians and in this journey there.

Cultural Factors:

Broadcast media includes a state-owned TV station, 2 state-owned radio networks, privately-owned TV stations and a number of privately-owned radio stations.

There are multiple ethnic groups including the Akan, Mole-Dagbon, Ewe, Gurma, and many more.

While English is the official language, many languages are spoken in Ghana.

For religion, 68.8% of the people are Christian, while 15.9% are Muslim, followed by a smaller number of other faiths.

It seems that there are gender norms in Ghana which are aligned with traditional gender roles in the U.S. This means that men are considered the family’s provider, while women’s roles are to nurture.

Ghanaian people are very community-oriented, and live based on collectivist values.

There is a strong tradition of dance and music in relation to community life and bringing people together.

Reference:

CIA The World Factbook-Africa: Ghana. 2011. Author-Central Intelligence Agency. Washington: DC.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html

Thoughts and Feelings around Race and Privilege

My experience with combatting health disparity and reflecting on Trayvon Martin’s murder

I took a class at Rutgers University called “Race Relations” where I was first exposed to the concept of white privilege and the statistics and personal stories surrounding discrimination and racial disparities.

Shortly after this class, I graduated and went for an interview for the position, Family Support Worker, for a public health program aimed to reduce Black infant mortality. I knew that Black infants are twice as likely to die during their first year of life compared to White infants, and I wanted to combat this injustice.

My supervisor, a woman of African American and Chinese descent, spoke with me about race and ethnicity very openly at our first meeting. She thought the job would be a good fit because I was committed to social justice and combatting health disparities. She also felt I had strong, intuitive relational skills that would help me when I visited women and had tough conversations about race with them. As a White middle-class, childless woman, I knew that there were stark differences between me and the women, but I believed in the work and really enjoyed working with women and families.

The program was aimed to educate, create awareness, and provide support to women and the greater community around this issue. I visited low-income, pregnant women who voluntarily participated in the program. They were African American mostly. I expanded the program to African women who had recently immigrated to the U.S. when I learned through research that after a generation of living in the U.S., African immigrants began to lose their infants at the same rate as African Americans.

My clients and I discussed Black infant mortality, the injustice of the health disparities, racism, sexism, and classism. Women allowed me to come into their homes every month to visit, hear about their lives, and listen to their concerns and questions about their pregnancy, health care, and other concerns. I came from an empowerment framework, where the women were the experts, but I would share information and resources that could assist them with their goals. I taught them how to navigate the health care system, and how to advocate for themselves when working with health care professionals. It was extremely important to me for their voices to be heard. During my time with them, women learned or enhanced their skills and improved their own health care services through their own advocacy.

I had awesome experiences with the women in the program. Simultaneously, I struggled at times in the program because some professionals expressed anger towards me in my role because I am White.

People said to me:

                “You shouldn’t have that job. A Black woman should have that job.”

                “Why do you care about black infant mortality?”

I did not know how to respond to these statements. I think I now have better skills and perspective to talk about these issues and explore the source and feelings behind the reactions and responses. Before, I felt too intimidated and upset to respond when these reactions happened. Now I think I would validate and support, while trying to learn and understand.  

When I learned about the murder of Trayvon Martin, I was horrified. I followed what happened to see if justice would come for him and his family. However, as I learned more about Florida’s self-defense law and how absurdist and cruel its implications were in this situation, I lost hope and stopped following the news.

I now work with survivors of family violence and sexual assault. I co-facilitate a support group and provide one-on-one counseling. I somewhat felt like I needed to shield myself from any more trauma than what I am already exposed to in my professional life.

At a first glance, I felt that this is why I was able to tune out Trayvon Martin’s murder and its impact on others, until I came to class last Thursday. I then began to think about how I had the privilege of tuning out the horror because it did not directly affect me. This was another manifestation of white privilege.  This realization in itself horrified me. Thus, I began to write this post, speak more about the issue in my daily life, and bring it up to people even when it seemed to create discomfort for them. I think that there is an inherent privilege in being able to do these things as well, but I was compelled.

Today I answered the invitation to write on the paper hung in the Social Work lobby by asking others, “What will help us heal?”. I look forward to any response.

Thanks for reading. I am open to and appreciate any feedback.

Sincerely,
Caitlin

What are Ghana's demographics?

Analysis and further questions  

Population and Profile:

According to the CIA World Factbook, Ghana’s total population is 25,241,998. Its age structure is relatively young. 95.6% of the population is 64 years and younger.

0-14 years: 36.5%

15-64 years: 60%

65+ years: 3.6%

Birth, Death Rate and Life Expectancy:

The birth rate is higher than the death rate, which means that the population is growing.

Birth rate: 26.99 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 8.57 deaths/1,000 population

The age of life expectancy is low. Women are expected to live a few years longer than men, which is common in many countries.

Life expectancy at birth: total population-61.45 years

Male: 60.22 years

Female: 62.73 years  

Literacy rate (age 15 and over can read and write):

In my research, I learned that there are large disparities in education level between men and women in Ghana. The difference in literacy rates illustrates the gap that men and women experience in educational opportunity and attainment.

Total population: 57.9%

Male: 66.4%

Female 49.8%

Major causes of death:

It seems that diarrhea (as a result of poor sanitation) and malaria are two main causes of death for Ghanaians.

Major Exports and Imports:

The two major exports are gold and cocoa, along with others to a lesser degree, including: timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, and horticulture. Imports include capital equipment, petroleum, and foodstuffs.

Note: 1) I have heard that diamond-mining is a terrible trade for Ghanaians, but I know little beyond that. 2) The term foodstuffs is disconcerting to me. I do not think these qualify as “whole” foods, which mean they have significantly less nutritional value.

Population living below poverty line:

According to 2007 data in CIA World Factbook, 28.5% of the population lives below the poverty line. I wonder how the poverty line is defined in Ghana compared to how we conceptualize poverty in the U.S. More than a quarter of the population seems to be quite a large portion to be living in poverty, which means they lack access to basic necessities. However, the source notes that in the last 25 years, Ghana’s economy has strengthened, resulting in sustained reductions in poverty.

Unemployment rate (urban versus rural, north versus south):

According to 2000 data from CIA World Factbook, the unemployment rate in the nation is 11%. In 2011, the labor force was estimated at 10.77 million, while the population was estimated at 25,241,998 for July 2012. How would this data then be interpreted?

For north versus south, there is greater unemployment in the north versus the south. The small landholders and those who provide labor for them make up a half of the workforce. It seems that there are less jobs in the north, which is why people are moving towards the south, where the urban areas are.

Average educational attainment:

Ghanaians participate in an average of 10 years of primary to tertiary education. This is higher for males, who receive 11 years, while females receive 10 years. This is consistent with the research that states that girls have lower educational attainment, accompanied by lower opportunity of education.

Typical Housing:

In the Greater Accra area, the 2000 census data showed that the average household size was 4.6 people. The average number of rooms in a house was 2.4. This means that an average of 2 people occupied a room.  

Internet and cell phone users:

5.12% of the population uses the internet (1.297 million users in 2009 of total population-25,241,998). A greater number of the population use mobile phone with 69% of users (17.436 million in 2010 of total population-25,241,998).

References:

http://census.gov/ipc/www/idb/pyramids.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html

http://ghanadistricts.com/region/?r=1&sa=90

http://www.modernghana.com/news/184685/1/preventing-malaria-the-leading-cause-of-death-in-g.html