Stephen Baffour Adjei and Mensah Adinkrah

Gender has a significant impact on the socio-economic, political and religious experiences of Ghanaians. For Akans, the country’s largest ethnic group, descent is traced through the maternal line. Property is transferred in this line too.

Mourning rituals are another area of life that’s shaped by gender in Ghana – as in many other cultures of the world.

In a recent paper, we explored the way Akan mourning rituals reflect the culture’s ideas about gender and reproduce social patterns.

Bereavement is gendered in Akan society: there are strict behavioural prescriptions for males and females. We argue that enacting and reproducing masculinity and femininity in these rituals may have negative health and psychological consequences for both men and women.

Our study is useful for therapists and counsellors to understand the impact of gender and culture when working with people who are dealing with grief and loss.