Barriers to the participation of women in community development process in rural Ghana: a regression analysis
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Women across the world face a myriad of barriers in every sphere of their
socio-economic life, negatively affecting their ability to utilise available
societal resources to achieve their full potential. They are often relegated
to the background when it comes to participation in community
development and decision-making. The present study seeks to examine
the relative strength of barriers to women’s involvement in the community
development processes in rural Ghana. A multistage sampling technique
was used to recruit 210 women from three rural communities in Ghana. A
questionnaire comprising a series of scales was used to collect the data.
The study found that the most critical barriers faced by women in rural
Ghana include the patriarchal norms of Ghanaian society, as well as
behavioural, and idiosyncratic patterns associated with their socialisation.
The study recommends the provision of opportunities to communities to
be able to empower and encourage themselves to make the cultural shifts
necessary to overcome and address the key barriers women face.
Community development processes must incorporate meaningful
participatory approaches geared towards greater equality, freedom, and
advancement of local community members, especially women.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Community development, barriers, rural Ghana, women, participation