Where is the man?
After seeing too many of these scenes on my way back to Accra from Cape Coast, I couldn't help wondering where the man is? I'm definitely not setting this up for the anti-male feminists among you to rant and rave. I need well-thought-through answers. What makes it so comfortable for the Ghanaian Male to think it is ok to abandon his family or alternatively stay at home but just be an irresponsible liability? 
Comments
I went to my village for my grandmothers funeral for the first time 2 years ago and decided to go to the farm with some of them. It was a 4mile walk in and out(8 miles in total) Phew! And both on our way in and out, the couples amongst them shared their load like this, the man carries his cutlass and perhaps a bottle of water, walks ahead, the woman carried the basket, baby on her back, with some supplies for lunch and her cutlass/hoe. On the way back The woman carried the basket full of the farm produce/firewood on her head, baby on her back, and the man walked a few feet behind with his cutlass and perhaps an empty bottle of water. For the men whose wives did't go to the farm with them, I didn't see them carrying anything back. Go figure! I asked one woman why her husband was not carrying the load she smiled shyly and said, "Oh, I couldn't possibly give it to my husband to carry!" They do not even walk abreast. So to answer your question, the man might have been walking behind with some other men, or might have gone home whilst the women went to buy some more produce/firewood from other farmers for home use. Obviously chivalry doesn't exist in our villages.
The picture you took is a picture that is replicated in many parts of Africa for a myriad of reasons. The answer is not simple, although complexity is not a reason not to answer...
Okay what does the picture say? It shows an African woman as a "beast of burden" with her children in tow. The impression you get from looking at the picture is that the woman is doing all the hard work and the man with whom she has the children is out of the picture.
I would say the root cause of "pictures" like this is a combination of several factors including how we are brought up. There is a presumption that because women bear children they should be the primary carers of children. This woman is obviously not a "privileged" woman so her work is so much harder. It will be so much easier for a "privileged" woman like myself, even if I had to go out to work, I could pay "another woman" to raise my children. Note that I would be paying another woman and probably not sharing childcare responsibilities with the man with whom I had the children.
Okay I could write a whole essay on this subject so I will leave others to share their comments too
@ Nana: I agree it's a hydra-headed one. I just wish there was a way to challenge the status quo... to confront the wrong... to empower our women whether they be "privileged" or not.
It's a bit of a stretch but will anyone consider the possibility that the man is busy breaking his back on the farm cutting the firewood for the woman to carry? or am i asking for my head to be bitten off?