Expectations of and Challenges in Marriage among People with Disabilities in the Yendi Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

The importance of marriage cannot be underestimated as it provides social, economic and emotional benefits to partners. This study was conducted to ascertain the challenges disabled people encounter in their marriage within the Yendi Municipality of Ghana. An exploratory design with qualitative approach was conducted in which 16 participants were selected through snowballing technique. Face-to-face in-depth interview was used to collect the data through audio recordings. Data-led thematic analysis was used to categorize the transcribed data into themes which have been presented as main findings. Their expectations have not been met as they are confronted with several challenges in their marriages from society, economic and domestic fields. People with disabilities within the Yendi Municipality who are married and facing challenges should form self-help groups to manage and deal with their challenges collectively.

Keywords: Expectations and challenges in marriage, people with disabilities, Yendi Municipality, Ghana