Children's Work and School Attendance in Ghana

Abstract

Most of the empirical literature on child labor considers work per se, independent of the nature or extent of work. This study fills this void by examining child work that directly conflicts with the schooling of children in Ghana. It finds evidence of a cultural bias in the way questions regarding working status are perceived. Additionally, the study addresses shortcomings of the empirical analyses of previous studies related to collapsibility, spatial heterogeneity and specification testing. While a substantial share of children who work rather than attend school are forced away from schooling by poverty, an alarmingly high share report that school is “useless” or “uninteresting.” This should be of concern to policymakers. Eradicating poverty is not enough to “send children back to school” – norms, traditions, and perceptions must be changed, as well.

Citation

Blunch, N.-H. (2006), "Children's Work and School Attendance in Ghana", Hannum, E. and Fuller, B. (Ed.) Children's Lives and Schooling across Societies (Research in the Sociology of Education, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 177-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1479-3539(06)15007-7