Abstract:
Introduction: The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM/C) in traditional African societies is grounded in traditions
of patriarchy that subjugate women. It is widely assumed that approaches to eradicating the practice must
therefore focus on women’s empowerment and changing gender roles.
Methods: This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of the FGM/C beliefs and opinions of men and
women in Kassena-Nankana District of northern Ghana. Data are analyzed from 22 focus group panels of young
women, young men, reproductive age women, and male social leaders.
Results: The social systemic influences on FGM/C decision-making are complex. Men represent exogenous sources
of social influence on FGM/C decisions through their gender roles in the patriarchal system. As such, their FGM/C
decision influence is more prominent for uncircumcised brides at the time of marriage than for FGM/C decisions
concerning unmarried adolescents. Women in extended family compounds are relatively prominent as immediate
sources of influence on FGM/C decision-making for both brides and adolescents. Circumcised women are the main
source of social support for the practice, which they exercise through peer pressure in concert with co-wives. Junior
wives entering a polygynous marriage or a large extended family are particularly vulnerable to this pressure. Men are
less influential and more open to suggestions of eliminating the practice of FGM/C than women.
Conclusion: Findings attest to the need for social research on ways to involve men in the promotion of FGM/C
abandonment, building on their apparent openness to social change. Investigation is also needed on ways to marshal
women’s social networks for offsetting their extended family familial roles in sustaining FGM/C practices.
Keywords: Female genital mutilation, Female genital cutting, Social determinants, Gender stratification, Ghana,
Sahelian Africa, Harmful traditional practices
