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Collective Familial Decision-Making In Times Of Trouble: Intergenerational Solidarity in Ghana

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Abstract

In post-colonial populations the retention of the nuclear family concept of collectivism as the basis for decision-making is associated with familial and cultural survival. Collectivism within familial contexts provides intergenerational access to experience, information, resources, and sound decision making during times of conflict or dealing with the consequences of poverty. In contemporary Ghana inter-ethnic wars and conflict have marginalized minority groups, causing substantial internal displacement of people. Poverty and cultural issues have caused a persistently high level of child malnutrition and mortality in all areas of Ghana, including urban centers where appropriate food is in abundance. In each of these circumstances the senior women, particularly the grandmothers, have been found to be essential for child survival, protecting the family from dissolution, and ensuring intergenerational cultural transmission. This paper discusses the place of collective decision-making processes of older African women in two studies in Ghana that assessed the: (1) indigenous methods used for understanding and arresting violent ethnic conflict by internally displaced women who survived the 1994/95 Guinea Fowl War; and (2) parenting and grandparenting strategies from families who insured the survival of children suffering from kwashiorkor, a severe form of childhood malnutrition. In this paper, findings from qualitative interview data will include narratives and illustrative cases.

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Notes

  1. This implies that these women were not eligible for help from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and faced meager support from non-government organizations (NGOs) and aid agencies including the International Red Cross.

  2. This women was a mother of triplets, and it was not until the third child was facing death after two of them had died from malnourishment that she responded to her mother’s suggestions for care and treatment of the remaining child who we interviewed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physician Assistant Studies Program, Health Science Campus, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA

    Brenda F. McGadney-Douglass

  2. School of Health Sciences, Program in Health Administration, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA

    Richard L. Douglass

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  1. Brenda F. McGadney-Douglass
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  2. Richard L. Douglass
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Correspondence to Brenda F. McGadney-Douglass.

Additional information

The field research that is presented in this article was conducted with Human Subjects, IRB, authorization from Wayne State University (1999), Eastern Michigan University (1999–2002), the University of Ghana (1999–2002), and the University of Toledo (2005). The findings reflected in the paper were presented at the first international conference on Aging and Social Change in Africa (June 2006), sponsored by the 5th Annual meeting of the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

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McGadney-Douglass, B.F., Douglass, R.L. Collective Familial Decision-Making In Times Of Trouble: Intergenerational Solidarity in Ghana. J Cross Cult Gerontol 23, 147–160 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-008-9064-8

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