Social protection policies on child labour in low-income Ghanaian communities: a gender-sensitive analysis

Purpose The study examines the nexus between social protection policies and child labor from a gender-sensitive perspective in Ghana, a developing country context. Design/methodology/approach Using a phenomenological lens within the qualitative approach, 23 participants were purposively sampled from even low-income communities across four regions of Ghana for in-depth interviews. Findings Results reveal that Ghana's social protection policies mitigated household vulnerabilities to some extent but remain insufficient to prevent child labour, particularly in low-income communities. Evidence across four emerging themes suggests that social protection policies have partial, gendered, and constrained effects, reinforcing rather than transforming household survival strategies. Research limitations/implications While the design of the study does not permit statistical generalizability, evidence adduced implies that social protection programmes operate as a partial buffer within conditions of chronic risk, where families rationally balance schooling aspirations against survival imperatives. Originality/value This study provides context-specific evidence regarding how social protection policies affect child labour from a gender-sensitivity lens from non-Western country context.