Barriers to Women Participation in Formal and Traditional Governance in Ghana

Abstract

Mainstreaming women through gender specific policies is an acknowledged precondition for achieving meaningful development in any developing country such as Ghana. Regrettably, it is only recently that issues of women participation have been recognized as such in the context of policy reforms in both administrative and local government arenas in Ghana. Even with that, recent local government reforms in Ghana have not given opportunity for the creation of quota for women in grassroots democratic institutions. In the context of governance, women’s concerns had surfaced intermittently and have merely been highlighted in political party manifestoes and agenda. Most areas of Ghana are rural and lack essential services. And considering their role in rural community development, the state of women’s participation in the governance process is crucial and deserves special attention if development is to be delivered in a more sustainable and efficient manner. To do this effectively, the obstacles to women participation must be unveiled and eliminated to overcome some of the challenges in rural development delivery. The study established that there are serious challenges in gender balancing both in terms of formal and traditional governance policy and reform agenda in Ghana. Consequently, female representation in both formal and traditional governance systems has been very minimal. Some suggestions have been recommended as the way forward in overcoming the obstacles to women participation in governance processes.