work and autonomy: women in Accra

This paper evaluates the autonomy that a group of nonelite urban Ghanaian women possess in their work options. To that end, I examine those factors that have been influential. These include: the association of education and employment and the exclusion of women, both outgrowths of Victorian attitudes; traditional notions about “the woman's place” and female occupations; the influence of others; and financial considerations. I suggest that the women operate in a society in which dependencies exist and shift, in which they are dependent upon the guidance of others. Furthermore, they have internalized the same values that have kept them out of the modern occupational structure. As a consequence, they are not free to make their own decisions and go into new fields of endeavor. 1978 American Anthropological Association