Family Life in Ghana

Our Lecture given by Mrs. Faustina Gyekye on Family Life in Ghana was an interesting one, although I found it particularly hard to stay awake. It was extremely hot and there was minimal breeze and although the lecture had interesting aspects, some of it was a bit dry, and too long. However I did learn some things. We learned that there are three main types of family structures: 1) Nuclear family: which refers to the married couple and their children 2) Polygamous family which is comprised of a man, his wives, and children 3) Extended family, where there is a residential group comprising of a series of close relatives. This extended family refers to a social arrangement in which an individual has extensive reciprocal duties, obligations, and responsibilities to relatives outside his immediate (nuclear) family.

It was nice to see how important the word "family" is to Ghanaians. They pride themselves on their religion and taking care of one another, something I wish I could say the same about my own family back home in the US. No one is ever really left out, however Mrs. Faustina did make mention that many Ghanaians are moving towards the more nuclear family lifestyle and away from the traditional extended family ways. This could be because Ghana is growing economically and many of those living in villages are moving to the city where they can only afford to take care of their immediate family members. Relating this back to disability, this may be harder for the disabled family members. Many times they depend on extended family members and those in their communities to help and assist them with daily living, and with this trend of a more modern nuclear family taking place, I wonder what happens to the caregivers for the disabled.

Although it took a lot of effort to stay tuned to the lecture, it was well worth it. However I do wish we could have focused a little more on family roles and responsibilities for the disabled.