Work

Tackling the legislative underrepresentation of women in Ghana: Empowerment strategies for broader gender parity

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: The question of women's legislative underrepresentation is an enduring problem which continues to garner considerable scholarly attention all over the world. Whereas the burgeoning literature on the subject has largely focused on impediments to gender parity in representation in parliament, the interest of this paper is somewhat different. In an effort to make an original contribution to the discourse, the starting point of this paper is the argument that women can be politically empowered to achieve greater representation in parliament. Consequently, in this paper – which draws on empowerment theory as theoretical lens – we present a snapshot of the views of 22 women parliamentarians from Ghana, with the aim to exploring empowerment strategies for attaining greater gender parity in representation in the legislature. They emphasize the importance of affirmative action policies, funding, inclusive political party structures, education, and societal re-socialisation in addressing women's legislative underrepresentation in Ghana. These findings may have some important implications for the nature and scope of interventions targeted at women for the purpose of promoting an inclusive political environment.

Source: Social Sciences & Humanities Open

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100717

Authors: Mary Awusi, David Addae, Olivia Adwoa Tiwaa Frimpong Kwapong

Institutions: University of Ghana, University of South Africa

Language: English

Topic: Gender Politics and Representation

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $825