The book is partly autobiographical and was inspired by Emecheta's personal experiences as a Nigerian woman who experienced poverty as a single mother.

[3] She stated that she felt the book was "[her] sixth child" and was born after she decided to write what she knew, basing her work on her real life experiences.

[4] After Emecheta began writing about episodes from her own life, a friend suggested she pitch them to Richard Crossman, who was editor of the New Statesman at the time.

[6] In The Ditch deals with themes of racism, sexism, classism and poverty through the lens of Emecheta's experiences as an immigrant in the welfare system.

[7][8][9] In particular, it focuses on the systemic injustices faced by working-class women in Britain, who were subjected to domestic abuse and double standards at the societal level.