Women and men at the traffic lights: the (re)configuration and (re)gendering of street water vending in Ghana

This article explores the experiences of sachet water vendors along traffic lights in Accra, Ghana. It particularly focuses on the entry dynamics, job orientation, and the possible existence and consequences of job discomfort. The findings reveal that vendors fall into three main work categories: ‘seekers’ (who actively chose the ‘female’ occupation), ‘finders’ (who did not actively seek the occupation but who found it in the process of a job search) and ‘settlers’ (who actively chose the occupation, due to rising unemployment, and then settled in the job). In terms of job orientation, settlers are associated with intrinsic rewards than finders who seek extrinsic rewards. The findings further indicate that men sell 10 bags daily less than what women sell 15 bags—an indication of vendors contribution to the booming sachet water business in Accra. Averagely, while men earn GH¢25 daily, women earn GH¢35 which is almost 6 times higher than the daily-minimum-wage (DMW) pegged at GH¢6.