ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution

This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese. This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.

Source: UG
The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution

This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.

Source: UG
The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution

This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language programmes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Participants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical significance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.

Source: UG
Gender equality and poverty in Ghana: Implications for poverty reduction strategies

Poverty trends in Ghana show a decline over the last two decades. However, the period also shows evidence of the intensification of vulnerability and exclusion among some groups, including women. Among several variables accounting for women's vulnerability to poverty are gender inequalities, which it is argued, undermines development and the prospects for improving standards of living. Therefore it has been suggested that policies, which aim at reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development must integrate gender equality, equity and women's empowerment in its goals. Despite these, the interconnections between a reduction in gender inequality and a reduction in poverty are complex. The paper explores the gender dimensions of poverty in Ghana, and how gender inequalities are manifested and implicated in the reproduction of poverty. It also assesses the extent to which these have been taken into account in poverty reduction strategies and policies to enhance the situation of women. It concludes that if strategies to engender poverty reduction programmes are to be sustainable it is important to recognize unequal gender relations and the structures of power that women confront at all levels in Ghana and how these increase women's vulnerability to poverty. © 2007 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

Source: UG
Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Under the Jerry John Rawlings Government (1981–2001)

This chapter highlights the trajectory of Ghana’s gender equality and women’s empowerment experience under the chairmanship of Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings and his PNDC from 1981 to 1992 and later the presidency of Jerry Rawlings and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 1993 to 2001. With data from mainly secondary sources and a few expert interviews with key persons in both the PNDC and NDC governments, this chapter presents an analysis of the quest for gender equality and women empowerment in Ghana from 1981 to 2001 when Jerry John Rawlings served as Ghana’s head of state and a democratically elected President.

Source: UG
Gender ideologies and power relations in proverbs: A cross-cultural study

The current study attempts to explore gender ideologies and sexism taking into account the representation of women and men in European Spanish and French proverbs. Basing their research on an interdisciplinary approach, the authors aim at critically reviewing the construction and representation of gender identities in proverbs using Glick and Fiske's Ambivalent Sexism Theory and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of proverbs culled from published collections and Internet sources. The study focuses among other things on how men are represented in proverbs as opposed to women when it comes to physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, and leadership qualities. Amongst other things, this study shows how discourses of biological essentialism are used to justify what is presented as a natural gender order and the effects of these perceptions on the social order.

Source: UG
Gender in African population research: The fertility/ reproductive health example

We survey the literature on sub-Saharan Africa to identify how gender has factored into explaining fertility levels and behavior. Tracing the development of male role theory, we argue that despite increasing awareness of men's authority, fertility research continues to focus almost exclusively on women and treats gender as a property of individuals instead of as a system of inequality. The mainstream fertility literature generally overlooks the decision-making nexus wherein men's authority seemingly overrides women's preferences. Positing that male authority in the reproductive and sexual arenas is predicated on cultural rights negotiated at marriage - and undergirded by bridewealth payments - we contend that attempts to understand (and change) reproductive behavior will hardly be sustainable without attention to this contextual realm. In that vein, we speculate that efforts to empower women (via increased education, occupational opportunities, microcredit schemes, etc.) may hardly yield sustainable outcomes without concurrent efforts to alter cultural distributions of gendered power. Copyright © 2008 by Annual Reviews.

Source: UG
Gender of Household Heads, Assets and Choice of Basic Services

The paper examines how assets owned by men- and women-headed households could help in enhancing the choice of different basic social services. It uses the data of a comprehensive field survey conducted by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research in 9,310 households across 23 MiDA intervention districts in Ghana in 2008. A multinomial logistic regression was employed to assess how ownership of a particular asset could enhance the choice of basic social services such as education, health and sanitation. The results of the study indicate that women-headed households control less productive assets and are therefore more likely to depend on the cheaper but lower quality public educational facilities than on the expensive but higher quality private educational facilities. Recommendations were therefore made for policy to ensure that opportunities are provided for women-headed households to own more productive assets.

Source: UG
Gender perspective on life insurance demand in Ghana

Purpose Against the background that Ghanaians seldom purchase insurance policies, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of life insurance uptake among male and female household heads in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study employs data on 775 male and 233 female household heads from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey. Adjusted Wald test statistics and logistic regressions are employed for the empirical estimations. Findings Results from the adjusted Wald test show that the sampled male household heads significantly differ from their female counterparts in terms of the selected socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Though ill health status, higher wealth, being self-employed or in wage or salaried employment and residing in either of the three northern regions (upper east, upper west and northern regions) in Ghana broadly affect the demand for life insurance among both male and female heads, other factors are peculiar to either parties. Particularly, whereas female heads who are married and those with more dependants have a higher propensity of purchasing life insurance policies, their male counterparts with higher education are more likely to buy life insurance policies. Research limitations/implications The paper adds to the paucity of cross-sectional studies on life insurance demand in Africa. Practical implications Based on the explored determinants, insurers could better regulate the purchase of their products by taking into consideration the gender differences to maximize their sales and enhance economic growth and development. Originality/value This paper explores the gender dynamics in the determinants of life insurance demand in a developing country, Ghana. Besides, findings from related literature are reported to be mixed. Though the current paper is not wholly nationally representative, it utilizes data from across all the ten administrative regions of Ghana. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior study has been conducted in this manner.

Source: UG
Gender Perspectives of Male Immigrant Healthcare Assistants in Norwegian Elderly Care

Exploring gender and feminization in healthcare professions within welfare institutions is an important issue. This article explores the experiences of male immigrant healthcare assistants with racialized features in Norwegian elderly care. A key narrative theme was how notions such as gender and categories of class reinforce structural power relationships, positioning male immigrants in elderly care as “lacking” and/or vulnerable with respect to self-esteem. In the analysis, participants’ experiences were perceived, contested, and negotiated within the themes of: (a) Gender Identities: Negotiations among male immigrant healthcare assistants, and (b) The interwoven process of gender and class. Participatory parity (Fraser, 2008) and perspectives of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) were applied to explore how notions of gender and categories of class limit and reinforce power relationships. The analysis sheds light on how such notions and categories reinforce structural power relationships. Furthermore, the article argues that understanding the impact of gender on the Norwegian care sector must address how specific categories of individuals are affected, in addition to the attendant labour market challenges.

Source: UG
Gender Role In Food Rights And Sovereignty In West Africa: A Rapid Review.

Recognizing the critical role gender plays in food systems within West Africa, this review paper explores the contributions women make throughout the food value chain and the challenges they face in achieving food and nutrition security. A search across the databases; Hinari, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science targeted peer-reviewed articles reporting on studies published between 2000 and 2023 in English or French and focused on women in West Africa. Data were extracted using a predefined form in Covidence and a narrative synthesis was used to summarize women’s roles and challenges within food systems. Thematic analysis of 69 peer reviewed articles out of a total of 9,789 screened revealed West African women as central figures in regional food systems. Beyond their well-documented roles in land preparation, planting, and harvesting, women actively engage in processing, distribution, marketing and household consumption of diverse food crops (fruits, vegetables, grains and tubers) across rural and urban agri-food systems. This multifaceted engagement extends far beyond production, demonstrably impacting key socio-economic and nutrition metrics including food security, food sovereignty, and sustainable livelihoods of countless communities across the region. Nonetheless, women are disproportionately affected by challenges such as unequal access to resources, limited decision-making power, and restrictive cultural norms and education. These factors hinder their participation in different activities within the food system. To address these gendered disparities and promote equitable food systems, targeted interventions are crucial. These interventions must prioritize education and training to equip women with knowledge, skills, and modern technology. Additionally, policy changes are necessary to promote equitable access to resources, financing and land ownership. Furthermore, dismantling discriminatory cultural norms and promoting gender equality are essential steps along with implementing infrastructure and technologies that address women's specific needs. By prioritizing women's empowerment through a combination of education, policy changes, technological upgrades, and collaborative efforts with stakeholders, West Africa can strive towards a more sustainable and equitable food system for all.

Source: UG
Gender Roles in Farming Systems: An overview using cases from Ghana

The situation of hunger and poverty continues to persist despite recorded economic growth and democracy in Ghana. This presents the challenge to address the problems of small farmers, who produce most of the food. The improvement in small farmer livelihoods calls for sustainable farming systems that include the farm and non-farm economy and addresses gender perspectives for effective investment policies and development strategies. Agricultural programs and services are more effective when they are targeted within particular farming systems. There are also differentiated gender roles in farming systems with men and women playing vital, but complementary roles. Yet the limited access to, and control over resources by women 'compared to men, limits their productivities and therefore productivities of the whole system.

Source: UG
Gender, culture, and inequality in Ghana: An examination of sociocultural determinants of gender disparity

The gender gaps that exist in education, income, poverty, access to health and wealth, inheritance, and household decision-making has been reported widely in Ghana and in Africa. There is copious evidence which suggests that while these differences are found in all societies, in developing countries these gender gaps are biggest with associated greater negative impact on women. In Ghana for example, gender gaps have been reported in access to health, education, employment opportunities, rights, and inheritance. The focus of this chapter is threefold: first, we examined gender gaps and disparity in education, poverty, health, and political participation and decision-making. Second, we explored major interventions that have been implemented in Ghana and examined the successes and failures of these programs in addressing the gender disparity. Finally, we discussed the factors that account for the failures of some of these interventions such as culture, patriarchy, economic instability, and poverty. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

Source: UG
Gender, digital financial services and vulnerability in the era of pandemics: A cross-sectional analysis [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 not approved]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread across the world, infecting millions, and causing economic disruption on an unprecedented scale. While everyone is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable communities are at the greatest risk. This study aims to examine the relationship between digital financial services (DFS), gender, and the vulnerability of informal settlement dwellers to COVID-19. Methods: We sampled a total of 2,697 households from 101 informal settlements across eleven out of sixteen administrative regions of Ghana. The regions were selected based on the relative severity of the pandemic, and the associated national lockdown regulations. Results: Adopting the ordinary least square analytical technique, the results reveal three main findings: First, we observe that males in informal settlements are more exposed to infected people or a person who died from COVID-19 than females. However, women are more vulnerable to the pandemic than men as vulnerable populations have a higher susceptibility to pandemics due to less capacity to implement preparedness and response strategies due to disparities in their societal status. Finally, we find that the vulnerability of informal dwellers is moderated using digital financial services. Conclusions: We conclude that there exist gender disparities regarding COVID-19 exposure and vulnerability. Also, by making use of digital financial services vulnerable groups can reduce their exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results provide policy implications for authorities designing policies to educate men more on the need to take preventive measures seriously as well as educate vulnerable populations to adopt digital financial services.

Source: UG
Gender, E-Banking, and Customer Retention

This research seeks to investigate the role of gender in the relationship between e-banking dimensions and customer retention. A measure of the key constructs was developed based on prior research. A survey approach was adopted to gather the research data. The study is guided by the social script theory. Gender plays different roles in the relationship with e-banking dimensions and customer retention. The study provides critical evidence to support the social script theory, such that gender moderates the relationships between convenience, website design and customer retention. The study aids managers of banks to recognize e-banking components that are not affected by gender and those that are ingrained. This has implications for e-banking segmentation strategies and tactics. Gender issues are important to the local and national economies, and also the global community. The study is focused on a specific industry and thus curtails our understanding in other sectors of the economy.

Source: UG
Gender, Land Tenure and Agrarian Production Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article examines in historical perspective how gendered land tenure systems have contributed to shaping, and have in turn been shaped by, agrarian production and reproduction systems and how this has worked to the disadvantage of women in terms of their livelihood choices and outcomes and their position in agrarian societies. It is argued that contemporary challenges to the health of Africa’s agrarian production systems have gender implications which are not sufficiently recognized, either in the literature or in policymaking. This stems from the fact that the complexities of women’s positions and contributions to agrarian production and reproduction, since before the colonial period, are often not recognized and, therefore, their influence on long-term processes, such as capital accumulation and proletarianization of rural life, are not accounted for. The article provides a framing of the linkages between gendered land tenure and changing agrarian production and reproduction systems and examines two contemporary land tenure issues which illustrate the impacts of gender biases in land and agrarian policies

Source: UG
Gender, politics and development in Accra, Ghana

African towns and cities are in the midst of social and economic change, which has attracted scholarly attention from a diverse range of disciplines. Some of these studies have focused on particular cities, as seen in the works of Stewart (1999) on the changing urban morphology of Cairo in Egypt, Gaule (2005) on the changing spatial patterns of Johannesburg in South Africa, and Grant (2009) on the impact of globalization on Accra in Ghana. Simone (2004) has studied strategies deployed to control, shape and make sense of urban life in several African cities: Pikine, a suburb of Dakar in Senegal; Winterveld, a neighborhood on the edge of Pretoria in South Africa; Douala in Cameroon; as well as the strategies of Africans seeking work in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Source: UG