Bridewealth, Women’s Subordination and Agency in Marriage: An ethnographic critique of gender activism in rural north-western Ghana

Abstract

This article examines current discourses on the role of the bridewealth in subordinating women and the implications of gender justice advocacy that privilege the undoing of this practice. In northern Ghana, to liberate women from oppression, some women’s rights activists advocate the abolition of the marriage payment. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered in north-western Ghana, we argue that dismantling the institution of the bridewealth risks worsening women’s subordination. Gender activism needs to be sensitive to contextual norms and respectful of the ‘oppressed’ subjects of ‘liberation’. We propose a return to the traditional court as a site for negotiating women’s emancipation.

Attitude Toward Lobola in Remarriage Following Divorce in African Communities

“…However, similar to Chitakure (2021), it is acknowledged that documenting the origin of lobola will not only be a difficult task but also an almost impossible activity largely because of a lack of written records of early African history. Suffice to indicate that consistent with many other oral traditions, lobola is a subject of fierce debate and contestations (Akurugu et al 2021). However, there is a consensus that the practice has evolved through space and time, and in its current form, it is markedly different from its original conceptualization (Munshi 2017).…”

“…This translation implicitly suggests the purchase of wives as a "commodity" item on the marriage market (Chireshe and Chireshe 2010). Rightly or wrongly, some authors equate lobola to "treating women as chattel that you have gone to the market to acquire" (Akurugu et al 2021). Focusing on the Bedia tribe in northern India, bride price is referred to as a "transmission of goods from the kin of the groom," thus implying, whether overtly or covertly, that the woman has been bought (Cherchye et al 2021).…”

Child marriage and education in the context of a global pandemic: Exploring the gendered implications of COVID‐inspired school closures in Ghana

“…However, the payment of bridewealth is seen by various commentators as a source of oppression and abuse of women in marriage (Abdul‐Korah, 2014; Dery & Bawa, 2019), and thus, places women in a markedly subservient position to men in marriage (Akurugu et al, 2021). Hossain et al (2022) show that during the lockdown in Bangladesh, the payment of bridewealth was a strong motivator for marrying girls off, providing a glimpse into the nature of poverty that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.…”

Staying with the Culture Struggle: The African Union and Eliminating Violence Against Women

“…Furthermore, there is considerably more research available on the harmful effects of various culturally informed practices than research on traditions of empowerment. An increasing body of knowledge is emerging on the latter, but it is rarely reflected in policy texts (Kuumba 2006; Nyanzi 2013; Akurugu, Domapielle, & Jatoe 2021; Gumbonzvanda, Gumbonzvanda, & Burgess 2021). Echoing these perspectives, Mutua argues that we should think beyond implementing the existing rights regime and pursue a human rights system that is truly multi- and trans-cultural (Mutua 2002).…”