Study finds wives' migration leaves husbands in Wa West facing loneliness, emotional strain

Professor Elijah Yendaw Director General, MDPI Commissioner of National Development Planning Commission

Audio By Carbonatix

When women migrate from rural communities in search of livelihood opportunities, their husbands are often left behind to cope with loneliness, emotional strain and the loss of everyday companionship, a new study has revealed.

The research, conducted in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region, examined the emotional impacts and coping strategies of 12 married men whose wives had migrated to other parts of Ghana. The findings, presented as a policy brief at the 6th Research and Development Conference of the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), highlight the often-overlooked family costs of internal migration.

The study, authored by Professor Elijah Yendaw, Ada Adoley Allotey and Bismark Nantomah, used a qualitative phenomenological approach, conducting in-depth interviews with left-behind husbands in the communities of Meteu, Buli, Oloteng and Bulingin during the first half of 2022.

Yendaw, Allotey, & Nantomah (Policy Brief UBIDS Conference 2026)Download

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Tags: