Ghana Blog Four: More About Gender Empowerment in Ghana

As I've been continuing my research on the status of women in Ghana, I've come across some vital information that would be useful in helping us implement our service learning project. Specifically, I came across two articles that were quite informative: "Women Still Sidelined Politically as 2012 Election Approaches" and "Integrate Gender, Social Inclusion Into Monitoring And Evalution." Both articles highlight disparities between different genders in the present day as well as means for empowering and advocating for women.

The first article "Women Still Sidelined Politically as 2012 Election Approaches" discusses the adversity against Ghanian women in politics, despite the recent rise of Samia Nkrumah. Samia is the daughter of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who is Ghana's founding father. She is the first female chairperson of a political party since Ghana's independence in 1966. Although Samia's victory is a great step toward ending the marginalization of women in Africa, there are still many hurdles for these women to overcome. In Ghana, women involved in politics are oftentimes expected to simply support the decisions of men. Those that go against the ideas of men are often considered "trespassers."

Although Ghana is recognized for its progressive government by international organizations, one area where many west African nations lag behind is in the involvement of women in politics. There has been considerable opposition toward Samia, who is considering running for presidency this year. The fact that a mere eight percent of the parliament is comprised of women demonstrates the adversity against women in power. Afua Ansre, coordinator of the United Nations Women in Ghana, notes that the reason why it is so difficult for women to become involved in politics is due to the presence of deep-rooted gender roles.

The other article, "Integrate Gender, Social Inclusion Into Monitoring and Evalution" touches on the idea that Ghana should work toward being a more egalitarian society and help its women participate fully in economic, social, and political activities. Senior Gender Advisor Francesca Poybee-Hayford spoke at the Ghana Monitoring and Evalution Forum regarding avoiding exclusion of different minority groups as well as the benefits working women provide for society. Regarding the subject of ostracism, she highlighed the need for Ghanian society to avoid shunning the poor, those with HIV/AIDS, women, those with disabilities, and people branded as "witches and wizards."

She also emphasized the importance of helping women achieve financial independence. Poybee-Hayford estimated that if women were to work Ghana's productivity would rise by 3-25% and that educated women would invest more in their children. If the children reap the benefits of having educated mothers, this would increase human capital for national growth. In order to keep track of the progress of women throughout Ghana, she suggested developing an evidence based framework that would monitor improvements over the years.

Both these articles gave me more insight regarding the treatment and expectations of women in Ghana. By gaining an understanding of day-to-day struggles they face, I'll have a better idea of what subjects to discuss in our group's gender empowerment program. Through these two articles, it has been made clear to me that while improvements are taking place, there is still a ways to go in terms of political involvement and economic self-sufficiency. On the whole, women still lack educational opportunities available to their male counterparts. It is my goal, through this project, to better understand the nature of gender roles in Ghana as well as what actions need to be taken in order to elevate the status of women.