ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Gender analyses of community water resources management in Ga East municipal assembly

Much research has been done on the involvement of communities in water resources management, but little can be said about community water management through gender lenses. The study seeks to analyze the relationship between gender and portable water resources management in the Ga East District Assembly, Ghana. The Gender Ana lysis Matrix (GAM) was employed to determine the role of women in water management as well as the different impact that water development projects and intervention have on women and men. A semi-structured interview guide was employed to interview key water management informants such as board members, assemblymen/ women, and workers of Municipal Assembly. the community representatives had mostly males to be their chairman and secretary, while the females were organizers and hygiene educators. In water economics, the board raises two main sources of income for the management of the scheme: from stand pipes vendors and from water tariffs from households. About90% of the stand pipes are managed by women. On socio-cultural factors, the women on board had meetings with the community women to clean all the standpipes, reservoirs, and other parts of the towns every month. In conclusion, community water resources management in the study area is not gender blind but there should be involvement of middle income women residents and also sensitization of the communities to be gender sensitive when electing board members for water management.

Source: UG
Gender and climate change linkages in the semi-arid region of Ghana

Climate change is projected to have a serious impact on all sectors of the world. The agriculture sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors with implications for smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions of Africa in terms of poverty and food security. Several researches have been carried out on perception and adaptation with a little investigation to unpack the gender differences and how this influence adaptation strategies. This research investigates gender difference and gender-specific adaptation strategies to climate change and variability. A household survey was conducted from August to December 2014 using a pre-tested questionnaire where 150 males and 150 female farmers were randomly sampled from 14 communities within the Bolgatanga Municipality and Bongo district. Results show the existence of gender differences in the adaptation strategies. Both gender groups perceived climatic change and variability but only 49% male and 40% female headed household (HH) have adopted strategies to cope with increasing temperatures while 56% male and 49% female have adapted to decreasing precipitation. On the other hand, 62% male and 60% female HH have adapted to increasing drought spells. The main differences between male and female adaptation strategies are that males prefer to migrate and seek employment in other parts of the country whereas females prefer to engage in off-farm jobs such as trading, basketry and shea-butter processing. The age of farmers, access to extension services, credit, perceived loss of soil fertility, among other factors influenced farmers adaptation strategies. Policy decisions to promote adaptation to climate change and variability should take these factors into consideration.

Source: UG
Gender and Fertility Change in Ghana: Exploring the linkages

Fertility rates have been declining in Ghana over the last two decades. According to estimates derived from the GDHS surveys, the total fertility rate in Ghana declined from 6.4 children per woman in the late eighties to 4 births in 2008 (GSS, 2009). Empirical data from developed and developing countries indicate that an acceleration of fertility decline can be achieved through a shift to more effective, modern, and long-term contraceptive methods. However the data for Ghana suggests that other factors apart from contraceptive prevalence may account for this fertility decline. One explanation may be to examine the inter relationship between women’s status and reproductive change. Inequality between men and women has direct demographic consequences in societies. Gender inequalities in families, mirrored in other levels of society can play an important role in reproductive decision making and fertility change. In Ghana, women's subordinate status in the family and society has been linked to high fertility and poor reproductive health, with obvious demographic consequences. The paper explores the relationship between fertility decline and changing gender relations and gender inequalities in Ghana particularly with respect to women’s access to and control over resources. It discusses how gender inequalities are manifested in reproductive behaviour and decision making and assesses the extent to which population policies take account of these issues which would enhance the situation of women. The paper recommends the need to promote gender equality at all levels of society, not only as a means to facilitate fertility decline and to improve the quality of people's lives, but more importantly, as a just end in itself.

Source: UG
Gender and geography in Africa: Developments, challenges and trajectories for the future

This paper provides an overview of current developments in the study of women and gender studies in general and in geography in particular in Africa. It begins by locating gender and women's studies in the context of international women's movements and examines the context of gender and women's studies in Africa. It also traces how gender has evolved and transformed in geography over the decades in sub Saharan Africa and outlines challenges and potential trajectories for future direction on gender and geography in Africa.

Source: UG
The gender and geography of agricultural commercialisation: what implications for the food security of Ghana’s smallholder farmers?

Using a comparative mixed methods approach involving two districts each in Southern and Northern Ghana, this article addresses the question: under what conditions, and at what scale does smallholder agricultural commercialisation promote or hinder food security? Specifically, it presents an analysis of how gender and spatial inequalities in resource control determine differential capacities to commercialise and the implications of agricultural commercialisation for food security in an export commodity dominated Southern Ghana versus a food crop dominated Northern Ghana. We found gender gaps in commercialisation capacity that did not seem to disappear even in the presence of land abundance because the gaps are structural. We also found that, in some contexts, high rates of commercialisation do not mean accumulation. Among females in parts of Northern Ghana, apparent high commercialisation rates are driven by necessity, and thus constitutes ‘distress push commercialisation’, which has negative food security implications. While we found no evidence of an overall positive association between commercialisation and food security, we show that in the export crop dominated high commercialisation zone of Southern Ghana, commercialisation enhances food security only up to a threshold above which further resource allocation towards non-food cash crops hurts food security because of inefficient food markets.

Source: UG
The gender and geography of rural off-farm employment and input intensification in five sub-Saharan African countries

The association between off-farm employment and agricultural intensification.•There are no gender gaps in intensification arising from off-farm employment.•We find “within gender” intensification gaps due to off-farm employment.•Effect of off-farm employment on intensification depends on off-farm income type.•Promoting off-farm employment could enhance intensification in some regions.

Source: UG
Gender and Marriage: The Case of Ordained Women in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana

The paper is concerned with the ordained women in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) and how gender prescribes roles in their marriages and in the PCG. Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with male and female and their relationships are socially constructed, context/time specific. Christianity prescribes to women the role they must play in their matrimonial homes. Women played major roles in the history of the Basel Mission in the then Gold Coast. However, they are portrayed as wives of missionaries. More precisely, they were seen as mission brides and wives, thus representing virtually the collective property of the Mission. In combining the traditional and contemporary roles, many women find themselves playing the roles as wives, mothers and reverend ministers. The PCG put strong emphasis on family life and the issue of relocation has greatly influenced some of the PCG's member's attitude to couple ministry. Thus another traditional practice where women do not take leadership positions when men are around. The study examines the theory of gender discourse as a theoretical frame using historical analysis method. The existing structures within both the church and society are patriarchal and the structures turn to focus more on men than on women in the various sectors of life. In the field work, the researcher came across an ordained couple where the wife was ordained first, went into the ministry first, in terms of educational qualification she is more qualified than the husband and they were put in the same district but the husband was rather appointed by the PCG as the district minister for the wife to be his subordinate. The African culture assigns women in the family to the domestic domain denying them from decision making positions in the church but women and men should act inpartnership.

Source: UG
Gender and Marriage: The Case of the Ordained Women in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana

The paper is concerned with the ordained women in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) and how gender prescribes roles in their marriages and in the PCG. Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with male and female and their relationships are socially constructed, context/time specific. Christianity prescribes to women the role they must play in their matrimonial homes. Women played major roles in the history of the Basel Mission in the then Gold Coast. However, they are portrayed as wives of missionaries. More precisely, they were seen as mission brides and wives, thus representing virtually the collective property of the Mission. In combining the traditional and contemporary roles, many women find themselves playing the roles as wives, mothers and reverend ministers. The PCG put strong emphasis on family life and the issue of relocation has greatly influenced some of the PCG's member's attitude to couple ministry. Thus another traditional practice where women do not take leadership positions when men are around. The study examines the theory of gender discourse as a theoretical frame using historical analysis method. The existing structures within both the church and society are patriarchal and the structures turn to focus more on men than on women in the various sectors of life. In the field work, the researcher came across an ordained couple where the wife was ordained first, went into the ministry first, in terms of educational qualification she is more qualified than the husband and they were put in the same district but the husband was rather appointed by the PCG as the district minister for the wife to be his subordinate. The African culture assigns women in the family to the domestic domain denying them from decision making positions in the church but women and men should act inpartnership.

Source: UG
Gender and occupational perspectives on adaptation to climate extremes in the Afram Plains of Ghana

Although sub-Saharan Africa does not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, significant adverse impacts of climate change are anticipated in this region. Countries in West Africa, which are heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, are projected to experience more frequent and intense droughts, altered rainfall patterns and increases in temperature through the end of this century. Changes in hydrology and temperature are likely to affect crop yields, thereby placing pressure on scarce resources in a region that is characterized by limited social, political, technical and financial resources. The success with which communities cope with the impacts of climate change is influenced by existing conditions, forces and characteristics which are peculiar to each of these communities. This paper assesses the preferred adaptation strategies during floods and droughts of males and females in three different occupations (farming, fishing, and charcoal production). Findings are based upon an analysis of focus group discussions and a ranking of preferred adaptation options in three communities in the Afram Plains of Ghana. Assessments of this nature should aid in the selection and implementation of adaptation options for communities and households, which is the level at which climate change adaptation is likely to occur in West Africa.

Source: UG
Gender and returns to entrepreneurship in Africa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess determinants of returns to male and female entrepreneurship in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda at selected quantiles along the distribution, as well as examine gender gaps in returns to entrepreneurship and factors contributing these gaps. Design/methodology/approach Employing a unique data set collected in the three countries on entrepreneurial motivations, constraints and performance, the authors apply unconditional quantile regression technique to assess the determinants of returns to entrepreneurship at various quantiles along the distribution. Additionally, the authors employ decomposition techniques to assess gender gaps in returns to entrepreneurship at various points along the distribution. The data contain extensive information on entrepreneur’s personal characteristics, including parental background and household composition and structure. Findings The study finds substantial differences in determinants of returns to male and female entrepreneurship along the distribution, with firm asset increasing returns to entrepreneurship. There is also the presence of gender gaps in returns to entrepreneurship at the lower-end of distribution, however, gaps disappear at the upper tail of the distribution, indicative of sticky floors in returns to entrepreneurship in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. The authors also find gender bias against female entrepreneurship in the three countries, as unobserved characteristics largely responsible for the gender gaps in entrepreneurial returns. Originality/value This work has been undertaken by the authors and has not been carried out by any other person. The study will add to the existing literature on gender and returns to entrepreneurship.

Source: UG
Gender and the Composition of Corporate Boards: A Ghanaian Study

This article examines the gender composition of corporate boards of listed companies in Ghana. Results indicate that women were insignificantly represented and that younger firms had more women on their boards than firms established four decades ago. In addition, the study found that it is only after the initial listing that companies found it necessary to appoint women directors. As firms expand, they tend to employ fewer women on their corporate boards. Also, women were engaged more in the service and financial sectors than the manufacturing and construction industries. Interest-ingly, local companies appointed relatively more women as board members than their multinational counterparts. © 2006, Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd,. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Gender and the stigma of onchocercal skin disease in Africa

This paper reports results from a multicenter study of gender differences in the stigma associated with onchocercal skin disease (OSD) in five African sites: Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria (Awka and Ibadan) and Uganda. The studies used a common protocol to compare affected and unaffected respondents, that is, men and women with onchodermatitis in highly endemic areas and respondents from communities with low endemicity or no onchocerciasis. The methods were both quantitative and qualitative, allowing for the comparison of stigma scores and people's verbal descriptions of their experiences and attitudes. Questions to the unaffected were asked after providing them with photographs and short descriptions (vignettes) depicting typical cases. We found that stigma was expressed more openly by the unaffected, who perceived OSD as something foreign or removed from themselves, whereas the affected tended to deny that they experienced stigma as a result of the condition. Gender differences in stigma scores were not significantly different for men and women, but qualitative data revealed that stigma was experienced differently by men and women, and that men and women were affected by it in distinctive ways. Men were more concerned about the impact of the disease on sexual performance and economic prospects, whereas women expressed more concern about physical appearance and life chances, especially marriage. Similar trends were found in the different sites in the responses of affected and unaffected respondents, and differences between them, despite geographical and cultural variations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Source: UG
Gender bias in households’ educational expenditures: Does the stage of schooling matter?

Gender gaps in educational outcomes still exist, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This incidence could be attributed to an uneven allocation of household resources towards the schooling of boys and girls. Utilising the household level data from the latest wave of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, the paper sheds light on gender bias in households’ educational expenditures using a ‘Hurdle or Two-Part Model’ estimation strategy. The two-part model unpacks the key sources of gender bias in household’s expenditure allocations. A number of interesting findings emerge: The study established a significant pro-male bias in both the enrollment decision and the conditional expenditure decision among the cohort of individuals in the post-secondary schooling age while only the former source of bias is present in the senior-secondary schooling age cohort. Strikingly, however, no gender bias is found in the positive expenditure decision for boys and girls belonging to the basic education school-going age cohort, even though a pro-male bias operates in the conditional educational expenditure decision for children in the primary school-going age group. Contrary to earlier findings, we find a pro-female bias in a household’s decision of how much to spend conditional upon enrolling boys and girls for the cohort of children in the junior secondary schooling age. These findings have important implications for policy action.

Source: UG
Gender differences in attitudes toward risk: Evidence from entreprenuers in Ghana and Uganda

The literature on risk aversion suggests that women are less likely to be risk loving than men in financial and insurance decision-making by virtue of their sex and biological make-up. This paper tests this assertion using a unique dataset collected in Ghana and Uganda and assesses the gender differences in self-reported risk perceptions of entrepreneurs by applying a non-linear decomposition technique. The results indicate that on average, entrepreneurs in Ghana report to be less risk loving their counterparts in Uganda. Furthermore, female entrepreneurs are less likely to report to be risk loving compared to male entrepreneurs in both countries. The results from the decomposition analysis show that gender differences in risk perceptions arise mainly from the unexplained component. For Ghana in particular, the findings show that the gender differences in self-reported risk perceptions stems from differences in education and previous business experience.

Source: UG
Gender Differences in Earnings Rewards to Personality Traits in Wage-employment and Self employment Labour Markets

In an extensive review of wage determination papers, it is concluded that the standard demographic and human capital factors explain little of earning differentials. Consequently, there is a growing inter est among economists to include non-cognitive skills measured by personality traits in recent empirical literature to explain variations in earnings. In a bid to contribute empirical evidence to this strand of lit erature, this study examines the associations between the Big-Five personality traits (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion and neuroticism) and earnings, using the World Bank’s Skills towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) data on Ghana. The study employed regression tech niques to estimate a series of semi-logarithmic wage equations that include demographic and human capital factors and the Big-Five personality traits to determine how important these factors are in explaining wage and self-employment earnings. Furthermore, the estimations of the wage equations are done separately for males and females to highlight any gender differences in the way personality traits contribute to earnings. Findings are largely consistent with the literature but uniquely demonstrate that in a power-distant culture like Ghana, where, traditionally, girl-child education has been relegated to the background, agreeable females, and not males, are rewarded in the formal wage employment labour market. However, in the informal self-employment labour market, conscientious males, and not females, are positively rewarded with higher earnings. These unique findings contribute to our under standing of the gender differences in the relative importance of non-cognitive skills in the formal and informal labour markets.

Source: UG