perspectives of the youth on inter-ethnic marriages in the Tafo-Pankrono municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of the youth who engaged in inter-ethnic marriage in the Tafo-Pankrono Municipality. The qualitative approach and case study design were adopted for the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve participants for the study. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that youth in inter-ethnic marriage view inter-ethnic marriage as a blend of culture, costly endeavour and have cultural and social significance. They also viewed inter-ethnic marriage as having misconceptions and inheritance issues. Findings also indicate that the youth engaged in inter-ethnic marriages because of the understanding of their partner‘s ethnic group, love and care for one‘s partner, rejection from own ethnic group and career opportunities. Moreover, the study revealed the following challenges: distance challenge, financial challenge, bias and discrimination, communication challenge and the challenge of meeting cultural demands. Based on the findings, the study recommends that Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and the Tafo-Pankrono Municipal Assembly should collaborate with local cultural organisations and community leaders to organise cultural integration workshops in the Municipality. These workshops should focus on promoting the understanding, appreciation and acceptance of diverse ethnic group. The study also recommends that marriage Counselors should incorporate cultural integration discussions into counseling sessions, providing couples with guidance on navigating cultural differences.