The Everyday Politics of Gender, Work, and Domestic Labour: A Qualitative Inquiry into Changing Family Roles in Contemporary African Households

Abstract

Across many African societies, gendered divisions of labour within the household are undergoing gradual transformation as economic pressures, educational attainment, media influence, and cultural interactions reshape expectations of masculinity and femininity. Yet these changes unfold unevenly, often producing tension, negotiation, and new cultural meanings around work, identity, and domestic responsibility. This qualitative study explores how individuals in Ghanaian households interpret and navigate shifting gender roles in the domains of care, domestic labour, income-generation, and family decision-making. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 participants from Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, and Takoradi, the study reveals that gender negotiations unfold through everyday cultural politics shaped by tradition, religion, economic realities, and aspirations for modernity. The findings highlight four dynamics: the silent persistence of traditional gender scripts; emerging partnership models based on shared labour; the symbolic politics of masculinity and breadwinning; and the subtle resistance strategies used by women to renegotiate domestic authority. The study contributes to interdisciplinary debates on gender, work, and cultural change by showing how households become sites of cultural negotiation, identity-making, and social transformation.