About

`Sylvia Esther Gyan (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana, with over a decade of experience in teaching and research. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and actively mentors and supervises students. From December 2018 to November 2023, she was an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the College of Public Health, University of South Florida. In 2019, she was named an African Studies Association Carnegie Corporation of New York Scholar.

Sylvia’s research focuses on the Sociology of Health, with emphasis on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and child marriage. Her broader academic interests include Family Demography, Gender Studies, Climate Change, Ageing, and Migration. She has contributed to several notable projects, including serving as Co-Principal Investigator on "Utilising AI to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescents with Disabilities in Ghana," funded by IDRC through the Infectious Disease Institute’s HASH program (Feb. 2023 – July 2024). She currently leads a project funded by the Horizons Institute Pump-prime Fund, University of Leeds, titled “Co-Creating Resilient Communities for Female Adolescent Migrants (‘Kayayei’) in Ghana.” This project integrates sociological methods and participatory visual art approaches to explore the lived experiences of girls under 16 who migrate from northern Ghana to Accra to work as head porters. Sylvia has also conducted research on sexual behaviours among older adults in Ghana, addressing a critical gap in global health literature. While most studies in this area originate from the Global North, her work brings much-needed focus to the sociocultural dynamics of ageing and sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa, a topic often considered taboo.

Her expertise and research continue to inform and influence discussions on health, gender, and development both within Ghana and beyond. Her research has been published in high-quality international journals, including Current Sociology, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, and Journal of Biosocial Science.

Beyond academic scholarship, Sylvia is deeply committed to collaborative research that addresses pressing societal challenges. Her work frequently centres on women in vulnerable situations, to inform policies and interventions that enhance their well-being.

Education

`PhD (Sociology), University of Ghana, Legon, 2012-2014

MPhil. (Sociology), University of Ghana, Legon, 2005-2008

B.A. (Sociology with Study of Religions), University of Ghana, Legon, 2000-2004

Research Interest

Prof. Sylvia Esther Gyan’s main research interest falls under Sociology of Health, a sub-discipline in Sociology. Sylvia’s research over the years has been in the areas of reproductive health with a particular focus on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and child marriage. Her research interest extends to other domains, including Family Demography, Gender Studies, Climate Change, Ageing and Migration.

Ongoing Research Engagements and Work

a. Utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to promote sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescents with disabilities in Ghana

This funded project aims to develop an AI-enabled chatbot with age-appropriate and culturally sensitive content to serve the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information needs of Ghanaian adolescents with hearing, speech, or visual disabilities. An AI-enabled chatbot has been modelled with features incorporated to support access to sexual and reproductive health information by adolescents with hearing, speech, or visual disabilities in Ghana.

b. Sexual Behaviours among Older Adults in Ghana

The world’s population has been ageing rapidly since the 1950s, and it is estimated that the population of older persons (60 years and above) will reach 2.1 billion by the year 2050. Most studies conducted on the sexual behaviour of older adults emanate from the global north or middle-income countries, with the participants drawn largely from European and American societies, thus raising questions about their generalizability to sub-Saharan African countries. This study seeks to

bridge the gap in the literature on sexual and reproductive health issues among older adults since such issues largely remain a taboo area in many societies, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

c. Co-Creating Resilient Communities for Female Adolescent Migrants “Kayayei” in Ghana

This project adapts and combines sociological methods and participatory visual art approaches to explore the lived experiences of adolescent girls below the age of 16 who migrate from the Northern Region of Ghana to the Greater Accra Region to work as head porters (Kayayei). Insights gained from this exploratory study would be used as a basis to create awareness among migrant communities about the precarity of migrating to the south to work as head porters. It seeks to bring the realities of these migrant girls to the doorsteps of community members, including parents, and potential migrant girls to help them make informed decisions when considering migration as an option.

Academic Distinctions:

• September 2024 - August 2025 – PI on the Project, Co-Creating Resilient Communities for Female Adolescent Migrants “Kayayei” in Ghana, funded by the Horizons Institute Pump-prime Fund, University of Leeds
• · February 2023 to July 2024 – Co-PI on the project, Utilising AI to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescents with Disabilities in Ghana, funded by the Infectious Disease Institute’s HASH programme
• · December 2018 to November 2023, Affiliate Assistant Professor, College of Public Health, University of South Florida
• · 2019 African Studies Association Carnegie Corporation of New York Scholar
• · May 2018 to April 2019 – BANGA-Africa Seed Research Grant Recipient
• · October - December 2018, BANGA-Africa Postdoctoral Fellow, College of Public Health, University of South Florida
• · January to December 2014 – Commonwealth Doctoral Scholar, University of Sussex, UK
• · February to December 2007 – Exchange Graduate Student at University of Tromso, Norway

Publications

`PUBLICATIONS:

I. Book Chapters

1. Boafo, I. M., & Gyan, S. E. (2022). Gender and Higher Education in Nursing: Experiences of Male Nursing Trainees in Ghana. In Hinton-Smith, T., CohenMiller, A., Mazanderani, F.H. & Nupur, S. (Eds.), Leading Change in Gender and Diversity in Higher Education from Margins to Mainstream (pp. 106-124). Routledge.

2. Dzorgbo, D-B. S. & Gyan, S. E. (2014). Democratic governance and women representation in Ghana: A critical evaluation of the progress. In D-B.S. Dzorgbo & S. Tonah (Eds.), Sociology and Development Issues in Ghana: A Sociology Reader (15-134). Tema, Ghana: Woeli Publishing Services.

3. Gyan, S. E., & Asante, R. K. (2017). Mapping out the role of labor migrants in Ghana’s oil and gas economy. In S. Tonah, M. B. Setrana, & J. A. Arthur (Eds.), Migration and Development in Africa: Trends, Challenges, and Policy Implications (183-193). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.

4. Kpoor, A. & Gyan, S. E. (2022). Key Factors that Influence Separation and Divorce in Contemporary Ghana. In Tonah, S. (Ed.), Marriage and Family in Contemporary Ghana: New Perspectives (pp. 240-262), Woeli Publishing Services.

II. Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

1. Afranie, S., Gyan, S.E. & Tsiboe-Darko, A. (2019). Child marriage in Ghana: Who cares? Ghana Social Science Journal, 16(2), 19-45.

2. Dzorgbo, D.-B. S., & Gyan, S. E. (2016). Exploratory study of the current status of the rights and welfare of Ghanaian women: taking stock and mapping gaps for new actions. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 20(3), 136-148.

3. Gyan, S. E. (2017). Exploring the causes of change in adolescent girls' sexual behaviour in Begoro, Ghana. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 21(2), 55-63.

4. Gyan, S. E. (2017). Adolescent girls’ resilience to teenage pregnancy and motherhood in Begoro, Ghana: the effect of financial support. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 12(2), 130-137.

5. Gyan, S. E. (2018). Passing as “normal”: Adolescent girls’ strategies for escaping stigma of premarital sex and childbearing in Ghana. Sage Open, 8(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018801421

6. Gyan, S. E., Ahorlu, C., Dzorgbo, D.-B. S., & Fayorsey, C. K. (2017). Social capital and adolescent girls' resilience to teenage pregnancy in Begoro, Ghana. Journal of Biosocial Science, 49(3), 334-347.

7. Gyan, S. E., & Boafo, I. M. (2024). “When you use tramadol, the sperms will not come out...”: Unconventional strategies for avoiding unintended pregnancy among adolescents in Ghana. SAGE Open Medicine, 12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121231224660

8. Gyan, S. E., Domfe, G., & Tsiboe-Darko, A. (2022). ‘I Am on a Family Planning Program, but I Have Not Told My Husband’: Contraceptive Decision-Making of Child Brides in Ghana. Journal of Family Issues. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X221093297

9. Gyan, S. E., Hiadzi, R. A., Obeng, M. K. M., Asante, R. K. B., & Ussher, Y. A. A. (2023). Virtual but essential: Students’ use of online resources for sexual and reproductive health information during COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal, 20(2), 200-212.

10. Gyan, S. E., & Kpoor, A. (2024). ‘Why give birth to many children when you cannot take care of them?’Determinants of family size among dual-earner couples in Ghana. Current Sociology, 72(1), 150-167.

11. Gyan, S. E., & Marhefka-Day, S. (2021). Exploring Adolescents’(Non-) Use of Modern Contraceptives in Ghana Through the Lens of the Theory of Gender and Power. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(6), 2411-2421.

12. Oppong Asante, K., Ampaw, S., & Gyan, S. E. (2023). Consistent condom use among sexually active young adults in Ghana: an analysis of prevalence and associated factors. Global Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/17579759231205850

13. Owoo, N. S., Lambon-Quayefio, M. P., Gyan, S. E., & Oduro, A. D. (2022). Women's earnings and domestic work among couples in Ghana. African Review of Economics and Finance, 14(1), 26-55.

14. Safo, A., Avicor, S. W., Baidoo, P. K., Addo-Fordjour, P., Ainooson, M. K., Osae, M., Gyan, S.E. & Nboyine, J. A. (2023). Farmers’ knowledge, experience and management of fall armyworm in a major maize producing municipality in Ghana. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 9(1), 2184006.

15. Tenkorang, E. Y., Owusu, A. Y., Zaami, M., Langmagne, S., & Gyan, S. (2023). Intimate partner violence and health outcomes among women living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana: a cross-sectional study. Health Education & Behavior, 50(3), 347-358.

16. Ussher, Y. A., Asante, R. K., Obeng, M. K., & Gyan, S. E. (2023). Assessing tertiary students’ self-engagement characteristics in the online environment. SN Social Sciences, 3(10), 181.

III. Book Review

1. Gyan, S. E. (2022). Review of the book Youth migration and the politics of wellbeing: Stories of life in transition by Elaine Chase & Jennifer Allsopp (Eds.). Children and Society, 36(6), 1434-1446.

IV. Edited Policy Briefs

1. Lambon-Quayefio, M.P., Owoo, N.S., Oduro, A.O. & Gyan, S.E. (2021). The Socioeconomic and Reproductive Health Effects of Unequal Domestic Work on Women in Ghana. GLM|LIC Policy Brief No. 34

2. Owoo, N.S., Lambon-Quayefio, M.P., Oduro, A.O. & Gyan, S.E. (2021). The Effects of Differential Spousal Earnings on Domestic Work and Intimate Partner Abuse in Ghana. GLM|LIC Policy Brief No. 33

3. Ahorlu C, Adu-Gyamfi S, Pfeiffer C, Obrist B. (2013). Coping with teenage pregnancy and childbirth in Ghana. Bassirou Bonfoh (Ed) Evidence for Policy Series, Regional Edition West Africa, (4), Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire: NCCR North-South.

Membership/Networks:

Ghana Sociological and Anthropological Association

British Sociological Association (BSA)

Global Research Network on the Economic Empowerment of Women (ReNEW)

Global Qualitative Sociology Network