People’s Perceptions about Unmarried Women: A Survey in the Kwaebibirem District of the Eastern Region, Ghana

Abstract

Perceptual patterns are neither innate nor absolute, they are selective, learned, culturally determined, consistent, and inaccurate. This article aimed to discover Ghanaian’s perception about mature single / unmarried women which appear to be gaining grounds in the country. A mixed – method approach was adopted with 110 participants selected using purposive and convenient sampling techniques. It was found that most participants had negative perception about unmarried women although quite minority showed positive perceptions.  These negative perceptions were rooted in the idea that the unmarried woman is at fault but not the men or societal norms.  It was evident that the perception that unmarried women are unhappy was not about their marriage per se rather how others see them; what others say, think and do to them make unmarried women unhappy.

Keywords: Unmarried/single woman, Perception