amanishraq@gmail.com

1. A Qualitative Study of the Everyday Life
Experiences of Working Mothers and their
Children in Accra, Ghana
Author : Esther Quaye
Presenter :Sana Shahzadi

2. Rational for the study
• Many research studies done in the area of
working mothers – in western cultures and
with toddlers and preschoolers.
• Ghanaian women working in bank have tight
schedules – ( 9am-9pm)
• How traditional responsibilities of mother are
carried out – when managing both family and
work roles

3. Main objectives
• To know the working mothers’ views of their
everyday life experiences with their children in
Ghana.
• To find out the children’s perception of their
everyday life experiences with a working
mother.
• To investigate the mothers’ involvement in the
everyday life of their children.
• To investigate how the children go about their
daily routine without the mothers.

4. Specific objectives
• How the mothers get involved with their
children’s academic and social life
• Whether the mother’s gets support for domestic
work
• How the mothers are able to control their
children when they are at work
• How the physical needs of children are met
• Whether the mothers face some challenges being
career women

5. Research Design
• An empirical study - Observation technique
• The use of qualitative design
• Semi-structured interview
• Field Notes

6. Sampling Considerations
• Respondents - women working in bank and
their children
• Mothers with at least 1 child – (10-12yrs)
• Purposive sampling method - non probability
sampling method
• A friend was chosen who has lots of friends in
a bank
• Language - English

7. Sample Size
• Twelve respondents (six pairs of families) –
one mother working in the bank and one of
her children.
• Five out of the six mothers - two-parent family
except one (lived with her mother)
• Children - four males and two females

8. Procedure
• Questions - narrative form and problem
focused
• The narrative part - describe a typical
weekday (both child and mother)
• Problem focused questions (both mother and
child)
• Additional questions - experiences and
challenges in work and family life (mothers)
• Data Transcription Format - every single word
was documented

9. Data Analysis
• Qualitative content analysis - conventional
content analysis
• subjective interpretation of the content -
codes or themes
• Re-reading

10. Main findings
• Stress – Work-family stress, Parenting stress
• Parental involvement in childcare - Traditional
responsibilities of parents
• Socialization of the child
• Children’s involvement in domestic work
• Sex role differences
• Family social support
• Support from relatives
• Family life

11. • Support from relatives
• Family life
• Controlling children
• Challenges
• Caring for the child

12. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
• Children has personal unique experiences -
differences in the family structure and
organization.
• Some children has close interaction with
parents, others had less interaction.
• Despite the mothers’ busy schedules, they put
their families first.
• Controlling and supervising children was
important to mothers (differed from one
mother to another)

13. • Most mothers perceived their work and family
roles - stressful and tiring
• Some of the household tasks were performed
by the expected sex whiles others were
carried by the opposite sex.
• Some of the results confirm some of the
findings in studies conducted in western
cultures

14. Limitations
• Small number of participants - cannot be
generalized
• Respondents - specific working organization
• Children were trying to put up good responses
in presence of some parents