Ghanaian women could earn GH¢43,000 doing chores - KNUST

Researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) say Ghanaian women could earn averagely GH¢43, 200 annually if they were paid for keeping their homes.

The Department says it used the minimum wage and other economic factors in their determination of this average earning.

Studies by the Economics Department reveal women of up to 50 years spend 32 hours a week on housework alone, compared to seven hours for men.

The researchers say these and other factors negatively affect women’s income levels and particularly limit their ability to pursue higher education.

Using data from the 2009 Ghana Statistical Service Time-use Survey, the team interviewed 4,286 males and 5,011 females across the country.

The initiative was sponsored by William and Flora Hewlett, under the Counting Women’s Work Project.

Lead researcher, Dr Eugenia Ampofo, told Luv News' Erastus Asare Donkor at today’s inauguration of the report women’s capacities are under-utilized in Ghana.

Dr Ampofo said the average pay for an unpaid man of the same age is Gh¢3800 adding, "which means they would be low when it comes to control, power or decision making in the house since the highest income earner often has the final say."

Women, she said, are spending a lot of time doing a lot of work that are not valued, consequently they have less power in the house and in decision making.

She explained that this sharpens the inquality that exists in households where women are under-utilised because their ability to learn and earn high income from the maret is not tapped.

In terms of effieciecy management, women the research found are have capabilities which is going waste. 

Dr Ampofo is therefore all for charging all to encourage women make use of their gift and let the girl child go as high as she wants on the educational ladder and go out there to get a job.