The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey report says 88 per cent of married women aged 15-49 and almost all 99 per cent married men were employed in the last 12 months.
Overall, 58 per cent of married women and 78 per cent of married men who were employed in the last 12 months earned cash, while 14 per cent of women and five per cent of men were not paid for their work.
The vast majority 94 per cent of married women who were employed in the last 12 months and earned cash made decisions on how to spend their earnings either alone or jointly with their husband or partner.
Among married women who received cash earnings 10 per cent earn more than their husbands and partner, 79 per cent earned less and eight per cent earned about the same as their husbands or partners.
These findings were contained in the GDHS Report disseminated to policymakers and stakeholders at a day’s workshop jointly organised by the Upper West and the Savannah Regions held in Wa to bring information and data to the doorstep of data
users and practitioners.
The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) designed to monitor and assess progress in the utilisation and management of healthcare service, selected 18,540 households across the 16 regions of Ghana, of which 17,933 households participated in the survey.
These households were made up of 15,014 women aged 15-49, 7,044 men aged 15-59 and 4,935 children aged 0-5 and different questionnaires were administered to each category.
Mr Iddrisu Andani Abdulai, the Savannah Regional Statistician in a Power point presentation, said on ownership of assets, 16 per cent of women and 24 per cent of men aged 15-49 own a house alone or jointly with their spouse and 13 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men own land alone or jointly.
More men than women own a mobile phone 88 per cent versus 80 per cent.
Consistently, more men 79 per cent than women 73 per cent have and used a bank account or mobile phone for financial transactions in the last 12 months.
Use of banks or mobile phones for f
inancial transactions is higher in urban areas than rural areas among men and women.
The 2022 GDHS asked married women to participate in three types of household decisions: her own Healthcare, making major household purchases and visits to her family relatives.
Mr Abdulai said in Ghana, 76 per cent of married women have sole or jointly decision-making power in their own healthcare, 68 per cent making decision about major household purchases, and 77 per cent make decisions about visits to their family or relatives.
Overall, 56 per cent of married women participate in all three above decisions while 12 per cent of married women participate in none of the three decisions.
Among married men, the majority make decisions alone or jointly with their wife about their own healthcare 91 per cent and decisions about major household purchases 88 per cent.
Mr Abdulai said 84 per cent of married men participate in both decisions either alone or jointly with their wife, and five per cent participate in neither of these
decisions.
More than half 52 per cent of married women aged 15-49 make their own decisions related to sexual relations, including family planning use and reproductive care.
Participation in decision making about sexual and reproductive health is highest among women living in Greater Accra and Western Regions 69 per cent in both regions and lowest in the North East Region 29 per cent.
Dr Damian Punguyire, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, said the directorate would study the report district by district and address challenges hindering healthcare delivery in the communities.
‘The findings of the GDHS would help us to put more resources to areas it was performing poorly to improve Healthcare needs of our people especially in areas that we are found wanting,’ he said.
Source: Ghana News Agency
