Doctoral Dissertation Research: Interdependent Livelihood Strategies Among the Elderly in Northern Region, Ghana

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The ways in which differently aged persons participate in livelihoods is not well understood. The elderly are often cast as dependent, yet many make significant contributions to the food security and social support of their families and communities. Despite this, international development projects and the empirical research on which they are based, including those focused on livelihood studies, are predominantly youth-oriented and focus on the material exchanges of young and middle-aged persons that supply income and subsistence to households. This research project builds on previous research within gerontology, geographies of age, feminist geographies and geographies of care to re-conceptualize the way in which the social construction of age has implications for livelihood strategies. By employing a variety of methods, including comprehensive household surveys, individual life histories interviews, focus groups, participant observation and participatory mapping, this research will document the social relationships through which livelihood strategies are practiced by elderly persons in a rural community in Northern Ghana. Findings from this research will demonstrate that diverse livelihood strategies are not just found and fostered within the activities of individuals, but also in the politics of inter-generational relationships within households. This project expects to demonstrate that the elderly face particular opportunities and limitations as a result of the socio-spatial relations associated with later life, rendering their livelihood strategies distinct from those practiced by younger persons.This project will help inform development-oriented livelihood studies which have tended to focus on programs for young and middle-aged adults and have underplayed the importance of the role of the elderly in household livelihood strategies. This research connects with the growing awareness of the rights and needs of older persons in developing countries where the neglect of the elderly continues, despite international policies, including the United Nation's International Plan of Action on Ageing ratified in the early 21st century. Result of this work will contribute both empirically and theoretically to the goals of feminist geography and the importance of gendered perspectives in development studies.