Gender, politics, society in Ghana

Ghana has made notable strides in enhancing women's political activism since the inception of the Fourth Republic, yet significant challenges persist.

The adoption of the 1992 Constitution established a framework for political inclusion, including provisions aimed at promoting gender equality.

Article 17(1) of the Constitution guarantees that all persons are equal before the law, while Article 17(2) prohibits discrimination based on gender, race, colour, etc.

Additionally, Article 17(4)(a) provides a robust foundation for Affirmative Action, allowing Parliament to enact laws to address social, economic, or educational disparities within Ghanaian society.

The introduction of the Women's Manifesto for Ghana in 2004 further aimed to enhance women's political involvement.

Consequently, the percentage of female Members of Parliament (MPs) rose from nine percent in 1996 to approximately 11 per cent in 2004.

However, this progress faced a setback when women's representation dipped to about eight per cent in 2008.

To counter this decline, civil society and key stakeholders launched initiatives encouraging political parties to reserve seats for female candidates in their strongholds.

This effort paid off, leading to a recovery in female political representation to around 11 per cent by 2012.

To further bolster gender equity, Ghana introduced a National Gender Policy in 2015, which contributed to a notable increase in the percentage of female MPs, reaching approximately 15 per cent by 2020. In 2024, the enactment of the Affirmative Action Act marked another significant step toward promoting gender equality in political representation.

Despite this progress, Ghana's female parliamentary representation of about 15 per cent remains significantly below the global average of 27.2 per cent and the sub-Saharan average of 27.1 per cent. Several factors contribute to this disparity.

Commitment to women’s leadership

Recent developments highlight Ghana's commitment to women's leadership, evidenced by the election of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as the first female Vice-President in Ghana’s history. Her election serves as an inspiration to young women and girls, demonstrating that they can aspire to the highest levels of political office.

It also challenges the traditional gender stereotypes that have historically constrained women's roles in politics and leadership positions.

Furthermore, the President has initiated efforts to increase the recruitment of women within the presidency, with reports indicating that women constitute 48 per cent of the presidential workforce.

However, the representation of women in ministerial positions remains lacking.

Currently, women make up only 16 per cent of the 55 ministers and deputy ministers appointed (nine out of 55).

Even if all the remaining five positions were filled by women, this would only raise the total to about 23 per cent (14 out of 60).

This situation underscores the persistent barriers to empowerment in Ghana, which require immediate attention and remedy.

The main reason for Ghana’s gender inequalities are cultural norms which both acclaim and favour men.

Women are regarded as useful for subservient roles.

Deeply entrenched cultural gender norms not only obstruct women’s development but also widen gender inequality at all levels of society. 

What can be done to improve things? First, it is necessary to systematically examine and assess the influence of cultural gender norms on women’s lives in Ghana.

A methodical survey is required to fully capture women’s experiences at all levels of society and in all of Ghana’s regions.

It is necessary to recognise that cultural gender norms affect gender inequality at every level of society as they are interconnected.

Together they both consolidate and widen the inequality gap between men and women.

Cultural gender norms influence gender role socialisation in the home, which then transmits to the school and religious institutions.

In school, cultural gender norms are manifested through discriminatory classroom practices, as well as gender role assignment of school responsibilities, and gender role representations in textbooks.

In both Christianity and Islam, cultural gender norms create doctrines that enforce men’s domination over women.

In the workplace, cultural gender norms gender labour by defining a man’s occupation and limiting women to domestic and low-paying occupations.

The mass media regularly displays images of women to fit cultural gender norms.

Together, these factors underpin the sociocultural norms accepted by society which perpetuate discriminatory practices against women.

Strategies

Potential strategies to promote gender equality in Ghana include: increasing access to quality education for girls, implementing legislation promoting women’s rights in the workplace, challenging harmful gender norms through awareness campaigns, supporting women-owned businesses, and empowering women to participate actively in decision-making processes at community and political levels.

Regarding education, it is necessary to prioritise girls’ learning by providing scholarships, addressing barriers like early marriage, promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and integrating gender sensitivity into school curricula to challenge stereotypes. 

Necessary legal reforms include enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new legislation to address gender-based violence, inheritance rights, and equal pay.

There is also a need to implement quota systems for women's representation in parliament and leadership positions.

Regarding political participation, women must be encouraged to actively participate in political processes through voter education and leadership training as well as the promotion of women’s candidacy for elected positions.

The writers are an Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University, UK and a Political Scientist respectively