3. Data and methods

The purpose of the study is to explore the post retirement survival strategies of low income pensioners in Ghana. In other terms, I sought to understand the alternative income avenues that male and female pensioners in Ghana resort to aside the pension funds that they receive from the government. In order to make my study more focused, I worked closely with public sector pensioners in Ghana. At the preliminary stages, I selected and interviewed pensioners from rural (North) and urban (South) settings in Ghana to find answers to my chosen research questions. However, the narratives revealed that there were no clear differences in alternative income practices between pensioners in these two regions of Ghana. In view of this, the next step was to explore gender differences in pension strategies among retirees in the capital city of Ghana which is Accra.

The interview consisted of only men and women who have previously held job positions in the public sector of Ghana. This consisted of 5 men and 4 women who had attained the pensionable age of 60 years in Ghana . In order to gain access to these pensioners, I had a key informant who was a pensioner and he aided me in identifying other pensioners but with full guidance on suitability. Their telephone numbers were taken out of consent so I had the opportunity to call them and arrange for interviews. The interviewees agreed to take part in the interviews and they assured me that they are always ready to provide any further clarity on certain issues. All the 9 semi-structured interviews were conducted in March-April 2020. Everything was recorded and notes were taken on the side where appropriate. The average interview lasted for about an hour There were differences among years by which they had come on retirement.

The shortest pension period among the retirees was 2 years and the longest was 13 years. Most of them also had different family statuses and experiences. All five men were married at the point of the interview. 4 of the men were living with their marital spouse(s) whiles 1 was living alone because his wife had travelled abroad to live with his oldest child. Even though I interviewed 4 women, 2 of them were still living with their marital spouse(s), 1 was divorced and the other was widowed.

3.1 Research design and data collection techniques

The study exclusively adopted the qualitative research approach because the researcher is interested in understanding the meaning that pensioners attach to post-retirement life and how they construct their world view and the meanings that they associate to their experiences. In view of the nature of the study which sought to identify the experiences of pensioners as well as their life stories, it was deemed very appropriate to use semi-structured interviews to encourage pensioners to share the issues or life situations as they unfold without restrictions (Creswell, 2007). Ideally, the researcher tried to engage the pensioners more in a guided conversation with less control in order to get in-depth and meaningful results. The interviews also helped the interviewer to ascertain insights of subjective well-being, the perceptions of retirement, the mobilization of professional and social networks, the perception of help and support for elderly people following the breakdown of the extended family system, the mobilization of emotional support from social activities, their past working fields, socioeconomic statuses and their socio-cultural environments.

all, the participants were asked a minimum of 17 questions (Appendix C). These were questions related to their post-retirement life but also taking into consideration differences in demographic backgrounds, family structures and paying key attention to the gender differences. The participants were interviewed individually and the rationale behind this was to give them the opportunity to feel relaxed and also narrate their activities and experiences with ease and comfort (Mertens, 1998)

3.2 Sampling method

A purposeful sampling method which relies on the proposed research question(s) was used to select the participants. According to Merriam (2009) this kind of method enables researchers to subjectively select participants that are regarded as important for the study and this can be representative of the population. Babbie and Mouton (2001) proposed that the sample size of a qualitative research approach should be between 5 to 20 participants. In view of that, 9 people in total were selected for my research. While I had planned to collect additional interviews up to 15, the quarantine situation in Ghana in the context of the worldwide pandemic situation in 2020 made it difficult to arrange these interviews. For this reason, I had to restrict my sample to only 9 interviews (5 men and 4 women). All these participants were living in Accra, Ghana at the time of the interview. The ages of these participants ranged from 62 years to 73 years. The study did not focus particularly on the professions of these individuals but rather paid ardent attention to economic indicators of the group of people. The primary economic indicator of the study was to identify only “low income” pensioners since that was the category of pensioners that the researcher was seeking to provide answers to the study. In view of that, a criteria was used as a guide for selecting the participants. This criteria is explained in detail in the definition of the group.

Definition of group (low-income pensioners)

According to Kwakye (2012) Ghana attained the status of a lower-middle income country with very high levels of poverty in 2010. Based on this assessment, different levels of wage earners emerged due to the prevailing salary structure in Ghana. For the purposes of this research I identify three levels of salary earners which are the high, middle and low income earners. All these parameters are necessary for the analysis because they create a distinction between workers and they can all be economically defined. The Ghana Statistical service (2014) explained that the national monthly average gross income in Ghana is GHў1,387. However, this was projected for all levels of workers in Ghana. This research focuses on “only” public sector workers thus people employed by the government. In order to draw a threshold for the category that I refer as “low-income”, I consider the concept of a living wage explained by the Ghana Statistical service (2014). They explained that in order to identify the sufficiency of a workers income, some cost items should be identified. This includes the estimation of food, decent housing, education of children (if any), decent healthcare, transportation, utility and other basic expenses. Additionally, there should also be a margin for unforeseen events like mere accidents, illnesses and special occasions like funerals and marriages. What differentiates high and low income pensioners is that high income pensioners are able to sufficiently afford these necessities from their income and they also have money for leisure and recreational activities[ibid]. Low-income earners on the other hand may not have adequately for such needs and may resort to other means of livelihood. In order to clearly define my selected group as low income pensioners, I used the following guides;

I. An estimate of a pension below GHў1,587 which is a sum of the national average income GHў1,387 + an estimate for unforeseen events GHў200

II. Pension below the upper poverty line in Ghana estimated at GHў 1,314

These parameters were used for the definition of my selected group as low-income pensioners because considering the costs that may emerge, a salary below the national average or upper poverty line may not be enough for a decent life considering the fact that all the participants live in the capital of Ghana (Accra) where standard of living is relatively high. Therefore a pension below the estimated upper criteria of GHў1,587 is considered low.

All my interviewees described their current pension income as insufficient to cover their needs. For example, BA said “My income now cannot sustain me and my family at all. So life is so a bit difficult for me and my family”. Others added that the income they receive is nothing and it is not even sufficient to pay basic things like rent. Its woefully inadequate but because I have invested somewhere, if I want to remove it I will remove it but the money given is nothing. It cannot even pay your rent. Every month I receive roughly ghc1,000 (VA, Female)

No, not at all. It is not decent at all. It is nothing to write home about. It is just something to keep us going. It is not enough (LA, Female)

3.3 Comparative case study

The research, as it has been explained was limited to different groups of pensioners who have similar income and have worked in the formal sector in Ghana and have attained the retirement age. The group constitutes pensioners from the greater Accra region of Ghana. The first stage was to select pensioners from the Northern (Tamale) and the Southern (Accra) regions of Ghana. The reason for this preliminary step was that the Northern region is characterized as a rural area and it is predominantly Muslim hence there may be cultural norms that are more family and community based. However, the Greater Accra region is the capital city therefore it is more industrialized and people are more individualistic. Thus, there may be less family and community ties which may have adverse implications on living arrangements and informal support systems available to older people.

However, there was no significant differences in these chosen regions of Ghana among pensioners. Therefore, the main comparative element that was used in this research was gender differences. I sought to find how men and women in Accra plan, prepare and deal with post-retirement life. The rationale behind this was embedded in theoretical perspectives indicating that men are more likely to re-engage in the working sphere thus mobilizing more professional networks. This may be partly due to their roles and responsibilities in the society. However, women are more likely to give more attention to emotional and affective support hence leaning more to the family and other domestic responsibilities or support networks like churches and associations.

3.4 Data analysis method

After the interviews, all the data that was collected was carefully transcribed. All transcripts gathered were also labelled with “pseudonyms” in order to ensure anonymity as much as possible. According to Hayes (2000) one of the very good ways of analyzing qualitative data is through a “bottom up” approach. Hence, the research used a proper inductive thematic approach. This approach also helps to develop new ideas that may emerge from the data collected. From the literature, certain themes were identified preliminarily to the data collection, but an inductive approach was chosen in order to identify themes directly on the basis of the data collected in order to rightly understand and interpret the experiences of participants. At the beginning of the analysis, some themes were identified from the situations of both men and women. The first point of analysis focused on similarities, differences and relationships between the gender groups and how they narrated their experiences with “specific language or tone” , verbal or non-verbal cues and the way they express their feelings through their current situation.

The next step was to identify codes in the transcripts. In order to identify the appropriate codes, the transcripts were thoroughly read over and over again. This was to identify words that were stressed, words that were repeated and words that had more emotional attachments based on how they are expressed. This was carefully done along gender lines in order to compare and identify similarities and differences to provide an appropriate interpretation. After this, appropriate themes were developed to explain the situation of men and women in Accra..

In conclusion, the analysis focused on the generation of alternative income between male and female pensioners in Ghana. I compare and analyze the professional and social networks that they mobilize, how they are able to get help from their children, marital spouse and other family members (brothers or sisters), the distinction between long-term retirement strategies and spontaneous strategies, their emotional support networks beyond material needs and how digitalization has played a role in providing help and support.

3.5 Ethical consideration

Before the interviews, the participants were debriefed about the purpose of the interview and what it will be used for. After informing them, participants were asked to give permission for the data to be used for the purpose of the study which they agreed. They also gave their names confidentially but in the transcripts and the texts, pseudonyms were used in order to ensure anonymity as much as possible. All the data that was collected including transcripts and recording were only available to the researcher and the supervisor in order not to disclose any identity.

3.6 Limitations of study

The study only concentrated on formal sector workers which means that it did not consider older people in the informal sector and how they are able to survive at an older age since they do not even receive any regular pensions from the government. Secondly, the study was only conducted in the greater Accra region which means that the explanation may be more appropriate for the urban space as opposed to what may prevail in rural settings. The study also had only 9 pensioners, both men and women for the interviews and this means that the sample size may be quite small to make a generalization even though some of the explanations are directly linked to literature and theory..

Analysis of the Post retirement survival strategies of low-income pensioners In Ghana: Is there a gender difference?

The aim of this research is to ascertain the alternative income avenues that pensioners, both men and women, resort to aside the pension funds that they receive from the government. An analysis of 9 qualitative interviews is used to identify the various strategies that are undertaken or being carried out by retirees during their years as pensioners and whether there are any clear dynamics in these strategies between pensioners across gender lines. The research made use of the purposive sampling technique because the primary aim for selection was to identify participants who have attained the mandatory pensionable age of 60years in Ghana. These set of interviewees were necessary to help investigate the research questions; What are the alternative income strategies chosen by low income pensioners in Ghana? Do the retirement strategies differ among men and women, if yes, how? and what social and emotional support networks do pensioners mobilize to minimize loneliness?

Through a careful analysis of the interviews, a set of themes emerged based on the proposed research questions. This part of the study elucidates the main themes and categories that were ascertained. The clear trends that emerged will be critically explained in the subsequent sections.

4. Introduction of analysis

In this part, I analyze 9 interviews conducted with pensioners in Ghana (5 with men and 4 with women). In order to significantly analyze the questions; What are the alternative income strategies chosen by low income pensioners in Ghana? Do the retirement strategies differ among men and women, if yes, how?” I will briefly identify and explain the generation and potential sources of alternative income of low-income pensioners in Ghana and compare the strategies that are chosen by both male and female pensioners.

A first dimension of my study is to analyze the nature and type of alternative income based on the particular resources that are mobilized (both material and human) such as family, friendship and professional networks. Also, since the family “may” be a broad area of analysis, I will also ascertain the family structure as a whole and the dynamics of help that may arise from the family. Help will be classified as a “reciprocal act” and this will be analyzed on the basis of three entities; the children, the spouse and other family members, including brothers and sisters. I will also analyze whether the extended family network (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) plays a role. With respect to the children, I will assess if pensioners are still supported by their children, whether they support their children or whether the idea of help overlaps.

Moreover, I will look at the preparation and plans that pensioners have for retirement. I will pay key socioeconomic factors like living arrangements; whether they rent, own any houses or in some cases invested in an apartment that they will rent out to people. A key aspect is to analyze whether this was a collective effort between the couple (husband and wife) or if it was done singlehandedly by the pensioner either male or female. Did pensioners include their spouses in these long-term strategies, indicating that they see themselves as part of a unit with their spouse (or children)? Or did they prepare these investments more on an individual basis? I will ascertain how these projects were funded which may either be from personal savings or by acquiring loans from banks and other financial institutions. In such cases, I will look at any challenges that arose and how they differed between men and women.

A second dimension that I analyze is whether pensioners have adopted a long-term strategy for retirement or whether they are adapting more spontaneously to their circumstances after retirement. The long-term strategy for retirement usually involves making investments or buying properties which can serve as a basis for generating income during retirement. I will analyze in the case of the mobilization of networks and of long-term retirement plans whether obstacles arose and of what nature. Were the obstacles linked to the changing economic situation in Ghana? Does it indicate the uncertainty of the financial sector? Are families perceived as a source of stability due to potential economic uncertainties and in the job market?

In a second section, I analyze the question; What social and emotional support networks do pensioners mobilize to minimize loneliness? I will look at the change in communication patterns. Are pensioners using mobile phones and social media? Subsequently, I will see if they are involved in religious activities and associations.

4.1 Generation and potential sources of alternative income: Material needs, financial arrangements

Ideally, because most pensioners in Ghana do not receive enough pension funds for survival as indicated from the interviews, they always look for alternative means of income in order to be able to live comfortably or decently. These potential income sources included in my group of interviewees are rental income, farming, transport businesses, shop ownership, bar attendance, teaching, supervision of candidates, construction, consultancy, basic skills like soap making and in most cases, re-entering the labour market. This section talks more about how these income sources are realized in order to serve as an alternative strategy of retirement income.

I analyze different sources of income narrated during interviews and how they relate to particular social networks. In what way are social networks mobilized and of what kind (professional, family, friends)? Does the use of networks differ for men and women and how?

Nature/Type of income and networks mobilized (professional, family and friends

Some pensioners, both men and women mobilize some networks to generate an alternative income. These networks include their profession, family and friends. These networks are used in different ways by pensioners in order to generate some income for themselves. Most of the men are able to reactivate their professional networks because they engaged in full or part-time jobs that demanded more “technical skills” due to their fields. In view of this, they created more alliances through interactions and they were able to build more social relationships which resulted in the generation of alternative income in retirement.

Yes. In fact, at the early stages like the first five years, my activities was just like the normal working time. Sometimes, I used to go and teach in some private schools. Sometimes, I used to work on computers, photocopiers. Basically office equipment. I repair and install all those things. I do networking and that kind of stuff (JMH, Male)

As we are talking now, I am a builder. I am building for people. I am a contractor. I was doing that side by side when I was working. So when I retired, I am still continuing with it… Apart from that, some people who know me invite me to come and offer training for their staff in institutions which offer technical skills. I am a consultant for some companies and Ghana education service also invites me for programmes which gives me extra income to support my living (AMB, Male)

Right now what I do is I work on contracts in these constructional companies and then we take contracts to maintain their equipment. So this is the jobs that I am doing this time. Alongside too, I am an examiner in the national vocational training institute in the testing division. That is on constructional equipment (ES, Male)

It can be seen that all three men had skills that were technical and they were able to build networks from these skills based on their interactions with other people and the positions that they held. JMH was a technical teacher in machinery, AMB was the principal of a technical school as well as a construction worker and ES was working in the heavy equipment department. Their positions exposed them to many people within their fields. People might have also perceived that they have lots of experience hence the reason why they were contacted to offer training and other technical support. BA who was a teacher in a technical school did not fully reactivate such links but he was also contacted concurrently to assess candidates and this is also based on the skills and experience that he had acquired and the networks he had built as a technical teacher in carpentry.

Also, when there is time for me to assess candidates, I will be called first, go to the office, given a letter and then I will be given the day which I have to assess the candidates practically (BA, Male).

The technical field or institution is highly gendered in Ghana and it is still rare to see women holding positions in such institutions. This is because, people regard certain jobs such as carpentry, building and construction and machinery as “male-oriented”. In most cases where women are even fortunate enough to be in such fields, they are marginalized and underrepresented. The Ghana statistical services (2014) explains that there are some gaps between men and women in such fields. For example, the construction sector forms 6.9% of the employment industry in Ghana. Out of that, men represent 6.7% and women represent 0.2%. In the professional, scientific and technical sector, men represent 3.0% and women represent 0.7% out of a proportion of 3.7% of the industry. In Ghana, there are various stereotypes surrounding women in such fields by both the society and the people in the field.

Not all the men were able to activate such networks so it will be interesting to look at male cases where professional networks were not mobilized. GT was the only man who was not working based on professional ties.

I was mostly in management and administration. It was an airline. A subsidiary that is Ghana airways flight catering. It was a subsidiary of Ghana airways but for now its defaulted. It has been liquidated(GT, Male)

Even though GT had good transferable skills based on the job that he was doing which was “management and administration”, the job he was occupying did not require any specific technical skills to create anything “tangible” like it was for the other men (e.g. carpentry, building). Also, he narrates that his airline was defaulted which means that he did not have the opportunity to go back. Irrespective of the field, GT made it clear that it was a personal decision not to work after retirement so he did not make any specific plans or preparations.

Actually I knew I was going to retire and I knew the only source of my income was the pension so I knew I was going to concentrate on my pension and not from any other source (GT, Male)

Unlike some of the men who were able to reactivate their professional networks due to their technical skills, most women were not working in such fields or positions so they were less able to mobilize such networks. The only woman who reactivated a professional network was SE and this is because she was working as a coordinator of a vocational school in charge of catering. This field is also “female-dominated” as perceived by the culture in Ghana so most women are able to occupy high positions within such fields since there is very little “competition” with their male counterparts.

When I retired, I continued working in a private nursing institution for about three years. I resigned last February. For now it is just my consultancy services (SE, Female).

It can be seen that since SE was occupying a high position in her old job, she was able to generate some networks therefore she gained employment from a private nursing institution. Normally, women are seen to be in more serving positions. For example, the Ghana statistical services (2014) explains that in most fields, women occupy supportive positions like secretaries, caterers, typists and receptionists which are not central to these industries. In the case of SE, her transition may be less difficult due to the gender perception in the field of nursing.

In this regard, it can be inferred that the position which one holds and the field in which one works can determine or partly influence their ability to reactivate any professional ties in retirement. The interviews show that men tend to be more able to activate their professional ties than women

For those who did not fully use professional links, other means were reactivated. From the interviews, BA, a male interviewee used some family business ties. Due to the state of his finances, he started working for his sister in her drinking bar. This was not connected directly to his initial professional job as a technical teacher but it was good enough to sustain him for the period. However, there were also times he was contacted to assess candidates due to his experience in the education field but this was not on a regular basis.

So what I have been doing is that I have been helping my sister in her drinking bar in a way that sometimes when they are buying the drinks, I help in taking the drinks to the wholesale…So that is what I have been doing for her every day. Also, when there is time for me to assess candidates, I will be called first, go to the office, given a letter and then I will be given the day which I have to assess the candidates practically (BA, Male).

This clearly shows that pensioners “may” divert from the professional skills that they had to a different field altogether. This may not necessarily be based on choice and may be entirely situational. There are no clear jobs that are willing to engage older people so they seem to look for alternative job avenues from the informal sector. One clear channel that can facilitate this force of working environment is family ties.

In the next session, I will explain into detail the perception of pensioners with relation to getting help from the family and how this has shifted due to the breakdown of the extended family system.

Family structure and help: children, spouse or other family members

The family structure is very important when it comes to gaining or providing help during retirement due to the dynamics that may prevail. It has been noted by the interviewees themselves that there has been a change in Ghana from the previous decades from a more extended family (e.g. aunts, uncles etc.) as support networks to the immediate nuclear family, including children, spouses or other family members (brothers and sisters).

These days I would say now the nuclear family is now remaining. There is no extended family or whatever. Even if it is there, it is not many. Everybody now concentrates on the wife, the husband and the children because the living is getting tough so you yourself you cannot look after your children than to talk of looking after your sisters children or whatever so everybody concentrates on their family. That one we do. Once in a while, I help some of my extended family members (LA, Female)

The way we feel concerned about our extended family has changed. The extended family system is different now. It is like we have all departed away from our family. It is the effort of the extended family that can bring about help. So when we also need help there is a reciprocal aspect of also somebody also contributed in terms of your well-being. With the little that you are also having you will give it out (ES, Male)

Based on these perceptions, all the interviewees focus on their immediate family members when seeking for help. Therefore, I analyze how help is provided within the immediate family, especially the nuclear family. Do retirees still support their children? If yes, under what circumstances are they supporting their children (schooling, unemployed, care)? Do retirees get help or not from their children? If yes, do they need help constantly or intermittently? Do they help or are they helped by their marital spouse? Do they get help from other family members (brothers, sisters)?

From the interviews, there are some reasons why some of the retirees are still providing help for their children. Some male retirees BA and ES are still looking after their children because they are still in school. This means that they still have the responsibility of paying fees. This suggests that they have to balance the act of providing for the educational needs of the children as well as looking after the family as a whole

…I have two boys that I am taking care of in school. One is in the tertiary institution and one is in basic school and the tertiary person I pay about ghc4,000 for the year and so it is not easy (BA, Male)

There are two who are still in school. I am the one supporting them with their fees. They are in their last year (ES, Male)

Both men have explained that their pension is not sufficient for them which is making life very difficult.

My income now cannot sustain me and my family at all. So life is so a bit difficult for me and my family (BA, Male)

…my income is not sufficient but the whole thing is you have to manage it (ES, Male).

This makes it important to compare how both men are able to balance these responsibilities thus supporting their children through school and taking care of the family. BA explained that he had planned for an educational policy for his children but they are still not enough to take care of the expenses so this is really having a strain on his finances.

I have two education policies because I have been still looking after two children who are still in school… at times I go for it but it is still not enough (BA, Male)

This means that BA may have to find other means of help more or less. He explains that in such situations where he needs extra support, his first point of contact is his own sister. He has a perception that seeking help out of the family is like disgracing oneself. This may be connected to his world view on trust and stigma. He decides to focus on his immediate family because he feels the “oneness” or “security” that exists in the family. He also said that she comes to him when she needs help which means that trust and support is mutual between them. This also indicates that the family can be relied on in case of unforeseen circumstances.

…my first point of contact is my sister because she is close to me and she has been helping me. Apart from that, I find it difficult to contact other people because it is not that easy. Apart from my own family, when you contact others, it is like your disgracing yourself to people but I do not feel ashamed when I contact my own blood sister because she also knows the problem that I am currently facing. When I also have and she does not have, she can also contact me (BA, Male)

The other man who was still looking after his children through school is ES. He explains that he is the one taking care of his children as well as taking them through school. It was then important to know how he funds their education since he receives very little pension. He explained that he does not get any outside help but since he was on a pension payroll, it is easy to get loans from the bank and they use his salary as a collateral.

There is no help like that so what we do is we collect loans from the banks. They use our salaries as collateral. You know we are paid through the banks and once we are paid through the bank and you want a loan from the bank, the bankers will issue the money with collateral from your employers and that is how we collect money or we come about funding the course of our children's education… you can go for loans because there is a pension scheme and the pension scheme guarantees your salary every month…(ES, Male)

This means that the financial institutions in Ghana also plays a role in helping pensioners with loans. He used “we” which indicates a group of people that he “identifies” with, which in this case are pensioners. He also makes mention that he has a wife who also tries her best to support the family.

My wife is self-employed and she is a trader. She always does her best to support the family (ES, Male)

This shows that the spouse (e.g. a wife) can also serve as a means of help for the family. On the other hand, another female interviewee SE did not have to look after her child to school because she had already done that whiles she was in active service. Hers was a problem of unemployment. She narrates that when her child came back from the UK after his studies, he could not secure a job for a period of two years

So he did his Masters in Coventry University, came back and for two years no work

(SE, Female).

In a situation like this, he had to come and live with her and she was the one supporting him.

…He was living with me. I was feeding him. We were even together. It was a good thing (SE, Female)

In the case of SE's son, he decided to sell DJ equipment which was a complete diversion from the skills that he had acquired from the university. This could mean that in the absence of direct employment, self-employment is sometimes a resort to gain income for oneself. Baah-Boateng (2015) explains that a greater reason of graduate unemployment in Ghana in recent times is because of skills mismatch and skills requirement. Because of this, most graduates are not able to get the “jobs of their choice” and are mostly “underemployed”.

The other interviewee who narrated that she provides support for her child is VA. She does not provide support in material or monetary basis. Her support is more related to care and this is for her grandchildren. She explains that she has moved to one of her children's house so that she can help in taking care of her grandchildren. This corresponds to the findings in the literature that female retirees tend to help with grandchildren.

I have my own houses. I am living with my last born and the first born. Because of my grandchildren I am living with them so that I can help them and care for the children (VA, Female)

This part explains that male and female pensioners were providing help for different reasons. The male pensioners were providing for their children because they were still in school. One female was providing support because her child is unemployed and the other female was taking care of her grandchildren.

It is then important to analyze the situation for those whose children are actually able to provide for them and compare what was different in such situations. Some of the pensioners attest to the fact that their children provide them with support but even within this sphere, it can be seen that this form of support varies. Some are able to get support on a constant basis whiles others are given support intermittently for basic things like medications or when they ask for it.

…at times, they also support me with other materials or other items…] With my salary and what my children are giving me, what do I need again. What I need is long life so that I care for the siblings that are coming because where I have reached, God has been merciful to me a lot (VA, Female)

I live with my husband and I have children as well. All of them are working. One is even an Accountant. We have a very good relationship. They are my friends. At times, my children give me money to support myself (MI, Female)

Personally, I do not depend solely on my children for now but it is not that easy. I am lucky that I am not taking care of any person so the little pension that I get is sufficient for me…] If I need something and I call them, they send me something small. That is not the case for everybody. That is my personal opinion (AB, Male)

One thing that can be seen from most of these pensioners is that their children are working so they “might” not have any responsibility of taking care of them more or less. This also means that their children may be in the right economic standing to look after themselves. This makes educating one's child a great strategy for pensioners at retirement.

This may not be the situation of other pensioners. Even though their children look after them, their remarks indicate that their children have to support them “constantly”. This is common in the case of LA and JMH.

Oh yes. They do help especially with the medication and all that. Buying of drugs and all that. Infant they have to help because you know this our small salary for pensioners so they have to come in. In fact, they do everything in general. It is not only drugs alone. Without my children, I would not have been able to take care of myself at all during retirement (LA, Female)

Actually I cannot say it is an obligation but they help a lot. They support a lot. In fact, their support is in the form of supplements (JMH, Male)

They explained that their children support them a lot. This is because, it will be very hard for them if they do not receive any help at all from them. Ideally, aside daily upkeep, there are other things that they use their money for and this includes medications. These are some extra things that most pensioners spend their money on.

The analysis of the mutual relationships and reciprocal networks of help and trust between elderly pensioners and their children in the frame of the nuclear family shows that there are no clear differences between men and women. Both male and female interviewees help and are helped by children to different degrees.

4.2 Preparation and plans for retirement

Most workers are aware of the fact that they will eventually come on retirement. Some go on to plan or prepare for this period whiles others try to adjust to the situation. Some of these preparations are long-term plans like investments whiles others are adjustments made for retirement life. In this section, I analyze some of these plans and preparations that most of the pensioners made. What type of plans did they make? living arrangements? do they own a house? How did they fund these projects (loans, savings)? did they invest their money in apartments that they rent? Did they invest in their children's education? Did they invest in banks? If yes, did it pay off considering some unforeseen circumstances with banks and loans? Did they invest in assets like buses? If yes, is it sustainable? Were these plans made in common as a couple or were they made individually (men tend to present it in this way)?

Long-term retirement plans or spontaneous adaptation to retirement life

Some retirees made plans or arrangements for retirement. Some of these arrangements are sustainable for a long period of time whiles others are strategies that are helpful within retirement. All these arrangements differed slightly among retirees, both men and women on how they were planned. From the interviews, it can be seen that some of the retirees think that one of the most import things to have during retirement is a house since it can affect retirees greatly. For example, this is what some of them said;

…In the first place, one thing that makes retirees to deteriorate early is when you don't have a place of abode so if you are able to make sure that you have a place of abode, I think that caters for everything because you can't be on retirement and be paying rent and so many bills with the scanty pension salary that you get but if you have your own abode, all these things can be taken care of (JMH, Male) gender pension benefit elderly

What I want to say is that every individual, when you are in active service, you must plan and that is shelter, clothing and then I think that is it. If you are able to get yourself with an accommodation, you do not rent anybody's home where you will be forced with harassment for rent, it will not give you peace (ES, Male)

This plan was very important for most of the retirees because at the point of retirement, most of them had already built their houses and were already living in them either alone or with their family.

Yes I live in my own house. I have some things that I rent out but not in Accra here, In Accra, I live with my family alone in my house (AMB, Male)

Yes I live in my own house. It is a four bedroom house but I have not rented out any of the rooms (GT, Male)

Yes. We prepared. Putting up something or getting our own apartment. So now, we are in our own apartment. Not necessarily. The main thing was the project which is the housing. That is where we live so that was our main project (LA, Female)

In Accra, what I did in Accra was to put up my own home and that is where I live with my family…(ES, Male)

I have my own houses. I am living with my last born and the first born. Because of my grandchildren I am living with them so that I can help them and care for the children (VA, Female)

Yes I made some preparations for the place that I will live…(JMH, Male)

Even though most of the retirees have their own houses, both men and women, it is important to know how they were able to acquire these properties in the first place. In the interviews, it can be seen that some of them acquired these properties through loans that they took from the banks.

You know, getting money to put up a building is not really easy so we struggled to put this building up. We did not use our money or our benefits, no we did not do that. Prior to that, we were getting loans and paying gradually in that order so we did not use all our benefits to put up the building. Before, we planned to get a loan to start something and then after paying, we go in for other ones during the latter part of our retirement (LA, Female)

We have the civil servants house loans so when I save for some time, what I did was I applied to them and they gave me some loans and then I had one of the insurance companies called Glico and they also supported me and every month it was being taken from my salary. And whenever it was getting to three months to finish, I apply again and they used to give and the money that I got from those people were monies I invested into the building project (VA, Female)

You know we are paid through the banks and once we are paid through the bank and you want a loan from the bank, the bankers will issue the money with collateral from your employers (ES, Male)

It can be seen that it was easy to get loans because they were “civil servants” in the public sector. However, some of them struggled to put up their building. They went for loans several times before they were able to complete their housing projects. This implies that some long-term retirement plans may take time and effort to complete especially putting up a building. Therefore, it is very important to plan ahead.

In addition, it can be seen in the above analysis that whiles explaining some of the ways they were able to acquire the lands to complete these housing projects, one of the women named LA tends to use “we” which means that these properties were acquired as a family unit (with her husband) but not just by her personal efforts. However, the men tend to present it in the different way. Almost all the men used a personal pronoun “I” to express single efforts.

The 3 other women used “I” when expressing how they were able to plan and that was based on different reasons. VA lost her husband and SE was divorced so they did not have any partner at the time of the interview. MI on the other hand had a business (shop) before retirement so she was funding her projects through her savings.

The only unfortunate thing is that I lost my husband 5 years ago; a retired army officer (VA, Female).

Yes I was living with only my son. My husband and I were not together (SE, Female)

Yes. It is my business. It has been here for so long… I am able to save the little that I get and that is how I funded my project (MI, Female)

Some of the pensioners also said from the interviews that they did not go in for loans but they were able to fund these projects through their savings. For instance, some of them had skills that allowed them to do some private work so aside working in their fields, they were also engaged in other income generating ventures. This is what JMH said when asked how he was able to fund his projects since he did not go in for loans from the banks

… from the salary. But you know I am an engineer and I do a lot of private work aside my normal teaching job so apart from the salary I get from teaching, there were some other avenues from which I also had money to finance the project…Yes because the monies were not coming regularly. Once a while, you get something then you get to the project and do something (JMH, Male)

Some of the pensioners also planned and acquired some lands with the aim of also putting up their own building but in their case, they were not able to finish.

The main one was my project. I purchased two plots of land. We had this TUC. I was then the women's organizer… I could afford one plot but some said that they do not need it so I took two so they were deducting at source (SE, Female)

SE acquired land because her main project was to build but she was not able to finish. She was mainly funding the project through her salary and some little money that she gets from private work. The main reason why she was not able to finish her housing project is because when her son came back from the UK after studying, he could not secure a job so she was the one supporting him so the project was not going as planned. Also, since her son was unemployed for more than two years, she decided to support him with the selling of some DJ machines. This could mean that she was not able to get enough money based on her “responsibilities” to fund her project. She later put it on hold.

I was funding it through my salary and the little jobs that I do. It got to a stage I had to support my son because when he came from the UK almost three years he was not getting job and he was also running his own business. Selling of DJ machines so he was able to gather some money and all that. So that was the business he was doing and I had to take care of the home. I mean support him and his work so he said mum I do not want you to stress yourself. Let us put this on hold. Because the money you use for the rent cannot complete the building so why do not you look for a portable place to manage whiles we put this on hold. So in order not to go through stress, that is what I did (SE, Female)

In the interviews, she narrates that because she put her building project on hold, she had to rent a smaller place which was funded from her savings. This rent was easy for her to pay because she took up a job after retirement but then she had to adjust in order not to spend as much as she was during her time in active service.

I have rented an apartment. Before I was upstairs but I have gotten a place which is downstairs. It is a chamber and hall self-contained. I have moved to a smaller place. I have been there for 2 years. The rent is quite expensive. I paid for 2 years in advance. I took the money from the savings. And it did not worry me because of the work I took after retirement (SE, Female)

It is quite interesting to know why she did not go in for a loan. This is because, from the interviews, most of the retirees said that it was easy to get loans as a civil servant in Ghana. The Ghana statistical services (2014) explains that 72.6% of urban dwellers in Ghana go in for loans because of housing. She did not plan to get a loan because she “questioned” the “job security” of the public enterprise which are government owned enterprises in Ghana. Probably there could be a problem with the salary structure and she is not sure how long it would take her to pay back.