Giving Birth: The Voices of Ghanaian Women

Wilkinson, Stephen E.; Callister, Lynn Clark

doi:10.1080/07399330903343858

Cited by 59 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The importance of faith in Ghana was emphasised by the use of prayer at health facilities. Clinic staff frequently incorporated prayer in their service, and accompanying relatives and friends often used the waiting room to pray for the patient [49]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative evidence on non-financial access barriers: implications for assessment at the district level

O’Connell

Bedford

Thiede³

et al. 2015

Int J Equity Health

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IntroductionA key element of the global drive to universal health coverage is ensuring access to needed health services for everyone, and to pursue this goal in an equitable way. This requires concerted efforts to reduce disparities in access through understanding and acting on barriers facing communities with the lowest utilisation levels. Financial barriers dominate the empirical literature on health service access. Unless the full range of access barriers are investigated, efforts to promote equitable access to health care are unlikely to succeed. This paper therefore focuses on exploring the nature and extent of non-financial access barriers.MethodsWe draw upon two structured literature reviews on barriers to access and utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Ghana, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Rwanda. One review analyses access barriers identified in published literature using qualitative research methods; the other in published literature using quantitative analysis of household survey data. We then synthesised the key qualitative and quantitative findings through a conjoint iterative analysis.ResultsFive dominant themes on non-financial access barriers were identified: ethnicity; religion; physical accessibility; decision-making, gender and autonomy; and knowledge, information and education. The analysis highlighted that non-financial factors pose considerable barriers to access, many of which relate to the acceptability dimension of access and are challenging to address. Another key finding is that quantitative research methods, while yielding important findings, are inadequate for understanding non-financial access barriers in sufficient detail to develop effective responses. Qualitative research is critical in filling this gap. The analysis also indicates that the nature of non-financial access barriers vary considerably, not only between countries but also between different communities within individual countries.ConclusionsTo adequately understand access barriers as a basis for developing effective strategies to address them, mixed-methods approaches are required. From an equity perspective, communities with the lowest utilisation levels should be prioritised and the access barriers specific to that community identified. It is, therefore, critical to develop approaches that can be used at the district level to diagnose and act upon access barriers if we are to pursue an equitable path to universal health coverage.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12939-015-0181-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative evidence on non-financial access barriers: implications for assessment at the district level

O’Connell

Bedford

Thiede³

et al. 2015

Int J Equity Health

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show abstract

“…Although fertility has declined in urban Ghana, attainment of the biological mother status remains important for gender identity, with the bearing of children being a marker of full womanhood (Clarke, 1999) and motherhood being seen as a primary role in a woman's life (Wilkinson & Callister, 2010). Whilst early writing on motherhood is ethnocentric, and views motherhood as a universal role based upon nurturing activities, motherhood is now recognised as culturally and historically variable (Hill-Collins 1994).…”

Section: Mothers and Motherhood In Urban Ghanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining work and child care: The experiences of mothers in Accra, Ghana

Waterhouse

Hill

Hinde

2017

Development Southern Africa

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Work-family research has focused predominantly on western women. Yet the forms of economic labour in which women are typically involved and the meaning of motherhood are context specific. This article aims to explore the experience of combining economic activity and child care of mothers with young children using urban Ghana as a case study. Semi-structured interviews (n = 24) were conducted in three locations in the Accra Metropolitan Area. Transcripts were analysed using the general inductive approach. The results found women's experience of role conflict to be bi-directional. With regard to role enhancement, economic activity allowed women to provide materially for their children. The combination of work and child care had negative consequences for women's well-being. This research questions policy-makers' strategy of frequently targeting women in their roles either as generators of income or as the primary care-takers of children by highlighting the reality of women's simultaneous performance of these roles.

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“…Fear of evil spirits, spiritual danger and witchcraft causing difficult births are described from a number of settings in both the Asia-Pacific region and in Africa (Dureau, 1998;Rozario, 1998;Maimbolwa et al, 2003;Wilkinson and Callister, 2010). In such instances, traditional cures are frequently relied upon to protect the woman and to assist the birth of the infant.…”

Section: Pele's Storymentioning

confidence: 97%