Old Age Poverty Among Rural Women in Ghana (Hardcover)

Martha Donkor

ISBN 10: 3032118735 / ISBN 13: 9783032118738

Published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Drawing on interviews with over 50 women in rural villages in Ghana, this book analyzes the poverty of older, rural, and illiterate women in Ghana within the framework of the feminization of poverty. The book demonstrates that alleged gains in gender equality are not universal even within the same country and that the feminization of poverty marginalizes certain groups in meta-analyses that focus heavily on monetary indicators. Specific issues explored include the conditions and processes that create poverty among older women, the role illiteracy and rural living play in the creation of poverty, women's experience and understanding of poverty, and the effectiveness of government interventions to alleviate or end rural poverty in Ghana. The author exposes a weakness in analyses of poverty that use income at the exclusion of personal and social characteristics, arguing that economic forces do not operate in a vacuum and an analysis that prioritizes non-monetary aspects of poverty is necessary to tease out its nuances.This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers focusing on the intersections of gender, work, the economy, poverty, and rurality, particularly in western Africa. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9783032118738

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Old Age Poverty Among Rural Women in Ghana (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3032118735
• ISBN 13: 9783032118738
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Drawing on interviews with over 50 women in rural villages in Ghana, this book analyzes the poverty of older, rural, and illiterate women in Ghana within the framework of the feminization of poverty. The book demonstrates that alleged gains in gender equality are not universal even within the same country and that the feminization of poverty marginalizes certain groups in meta-analyses that focus heavily on monetary indicators. Specific issues explored include the conditions and processes that create poverty among older women, the role illiteracy and rural living play in the creation of poverty, women's experience and understanding of poverty, and the effectiveness of government interventions to alleviate or end rural poverty in Ghana. The author exposes a weakness in analyses of poverty that use income at the exclusion of personal and social characteristics, arguing that economic forces do not operate in a vacuum and an analysis that prioritizes non-monetary aspects of poverty is necessary to tease out its nuances.

This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers focusing on the intersections of gender, work, the economy, poverty, and rurality, particularly in western Africa.

About the Author

​Martha Donkor is Professor of History and Women and Gender Studies at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. In addition to researching on women and old-age poverty, she has published on the education of female international students, Sudanese refugees, and the work experiences of immigrant women.