3 

Growing Up: Work, Aspirations, Dating, and Sex 

Interviewers asked participants open ended questions about their school and work 

experiences and their aspirations. They also inquired about the girls' sexual and relationship 

history for example, the nature of their relationships, with whom they had been involved, what 

their first sexual experience had been like, and why they remained with a boyfriend.  The process 

by which these participants formed child rearing unions in this community emerged through this 

interview and helped clarify the factors leading to early pregnancy and how and why the girls 

chose to continue their pregnancy or ended up terminating it. Parents' and guardians' 

participation in the process of girls' schooling, work, and dating activities, as described by the 

girls, is also considered in this chapter since this adult oversight affected the girls' activities.  

3.1 

School, Work, and Aspirations 

It was clear from the responses of all the participants that they fully expected to make 

their own living and provide a good amount of their children's support. This is common practice 

among women in many parts of Ghana (Clark, 2000; Birmingham et al., 1966; Lloyd and Gage 

Brandon, 1993). When asked about their aspirations, most girls said they either wanted to 

develop their trading activities by acquiring capital to buy goods or that they wanted to complete 

vocational training in hair braiding or sewing. During these conversations, the girls rarely 

referred to finishing secondary school and getting a white collar job as an aspiration or as a 

missed opportunity.  

The average grade completed among the participants was JSS 1 or the first level of junior 

high (UNESCO, 1992). Nearly all the participants reported that their parent(s) had wanted them 

to continue school for as long as possible and had urged them to avoid getting pregnant while in 

school. Most of their parents, they said, were not able to provide the financial support 

including fees, supplies, uniforms, desks, and chairs necessary for them to continue school 

beyond the primary or JSS levels.  

According to the girls' reports, the main reason for dropping out of school was because 

their parents or guardians could no longer afford to pay for their schooling. As they further 

described their situations, it was apparent that multiple reasons, including family finances, the 

girls' interest and aptitude, and other school related factors, often contributed to their dropping 

out. The latter reasons included things such as exams thrown out due to irregularities or lack of 

furniture at the school. The reasons the girls gave for their parents' inability to pay for school 

included a decrease in income due to divorce, illness, a downturn in business, or job loss. A 

change in the status of the parents' relationship, such as divorce, led to a decrease in child 

support, usually (but not always) from the father. Sometimes, the parents being involved in some 

trading activity that required them to move from city to city was cited as a contributing factor. 

The following account was given by one girl, Diana, who had wanted to stay in school but could 

not convince her father to help her financially.

2

I attended school near the Timber market, and all along it was only my mother who cared 

for me. I didn't know who my father was until I got to JSS 1, when we were told to bring 

our own tables and chairs to school. My mother couldn't afford them, so I insisted I 

2

 Pseudonyms are used for all study participants and interviewers. 

13