Financial autonomy and income for emergencies drive women at the Sekyere Afram Plains District of Ghana to produce charcoal

Abstract

Although gender norms prevent females from accessing specific forest resources in some sub-Saharan African countries, some women defy the norms to engage in activities traditionally reserved for males. However, few studies have examined the factors that motivate females to defy gender norms. We investigated factors motivating some women in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of Ghana to produce charcoal as their male counterparts and the challenges they face in the production process. We collected data through surveys in 61 charcoal-producing households, focus group discussions, and field observations in three communities in the district. Desire to be financially independent of husbands, provide food for families in the slack season when new crops are not matured for household consumption, and attend critical social events like funerals and weddings motivate the women to produce charcoal. The women circumvent gender norms through collective labor arrangements, support from male family members, and deliberate efforts to resist social stigma. However, they face significant constraints, including the declining number of trees in their operational areas, forcing them to travel long distances in search of trees, health risks, and price volatility in the charcoal market. The study contributes to emerging literature on gender and natural resource governance by showing how women's adaptive strategies reshape normative boundaries in forest-based livelihoods, and underscores the complex interplay between gender, economic necessity, and environmental change.