“‘My Wife, My Sister, My Mother’: Women in Parliament in Ghana”

Abstract

At present, women are 10.9 percent of members of parliament and Ghana ranks 150th of 187 ranked countries worldwide in terms of women in a single or lower house of parliament. By contrast, more than a dozen African countries have more than 30 percent women in their parliaments, with Rwanda leading the world with 64 percent women. This seminar reveals how such high percentages of women members of parliament have been accomplished in other African countries and what substantive and symbolic representation effects of more women in African parliaments have been identified. Using recent interview and other material, the seminar examines the challenges facing women candidates for and members of parliament in Ghana. The seminar offers lessons for Ghana from other African countries, in terms of increasing women’s political representation and leadership.