Society perception of women’s role in Ghana

SOCIETY PERCEPTION OF WOMEN’S ROLE IN GHANA

Topic/Situation:

Women are seen as less than men in Ghana

Outline: 3 or 4 paragraphs, the affirmation but more explained and detailed.

Ghana is a country of western Africa, situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Although relatively small in area and population, Ghana is one of the leading countries of Africa, partly because of its considerable natural wealth and partly because it was the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from colonial rule. Family is a very strong bond in Ghana and is the primary source of identity, loyalty and responsibility. Family obligations take precedence over pretty much everything else in life. It is important for Ghanaians to maintain dignity, honor, and a good reputation. The entire family shares any loss of honor, which makes the culture a collective one. In order to protect this sense of face there is a need to maintain the different constructed roles made within society that are attuned to an individual as being male or female.

In the eyes of the law, men and women in Ghana appear to have equal rights; however, a closer look at life in Ghana reveals the harsh reality of an endemic state of gender inequality in all facets of life, so to speak.  In Ghana, gender inequality in which females have usually been treated as second-class citizens can be traced back to patriarchy. While females in Ghana are underprivileged in various areas of life, the three main areas are education, economy and political participation. Increased  attention  paid  to  the  problem  has  been  as  a  result  of  the  mass acknowledgment  of  both its  short and  long term  effects  on  development. While  it has  placed females in disadvantaged situations and thereby curtailed their growth and development, it has also  compromised  the  optimal  utilization  of  human  capital  in  various  countries.  In  Ghana, gender  inequality  in  which females  have usually  been  treated  as  second-class  citizens can  be traced back  to patriarchy. While females in Ghana are underprivileged in various arenas of life, the  three  main areas  are  education, economy and  political  participation.  

Methodology:

This paper sought to explore how society in Ghana perceives women and their roles, navigating their culture and perspectives as an ethnicity as a whole. To achieve this goal, this qualitative study took the form of analyzing significant literature, from early databases to modern studies. This dissertation has provided a different viewpoint through which to study gender expectations and the influence they might have on people's daily lives. On the topic of women's roles specifically relevant to the Ghanaian context, a desk study of existing publications, books, government reports, interviews, policy documents, legal reports, and other pertinent documentation was made. Interviews of sampled adult men who had participated in a household-based survey in selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana were deeply analyzed.

The situation was created by reading a short story written by Mohammed Naseehu Ali titled “Mallam Sile”. Mohammed Naseehu was a Ghanaian author who decided to present his culture in his writing. Since the book is written by a Ghanaian man, who is well in touch with the culture and daily life in Ghana, it is recognized as a credible source. In “Mallam Sile’’, the setting involves the Ghanian beliefs, social structure, religious practices, and customs. Comprehending the challenges faced by the main characters, Mallam Sile and his wife, who break away from societal conventions and their neighbors, depends on understanding the cultural context. The author conveys a vivid sense of society’s perception on gender roles. In his short story, Mohammed Naseehu Ali provides several examples that implicate the ideas of men having the authority and supremacy, and women being perceived as being incapable of challenging.

Literary Review:

1.2) Gender roles in Ghana

In Ghana, there are distinct gender roles. Women are supposed to marry, have children, manage the household and children, and be sexually available to their husbands [8], while men are supposed to work, earn money and support their families [9]. The conceptualization of gender inequality and the corresponding uneven power, social values and roles is provided by Ghanaian patriarchy. Men are expected to create and embody masculinity roles, which represent their identities and values in the society. To attempt to educate their children adequately, parents implement a range of techniques, including rewards and consequences.  These strategies are deeply rooted in a country's customs. Nevertheless, there are certain issues with these procedures. Boys and girls are often raised significantly differently in most societies. This definitely strengthens the idea that men are "superior" in Ghana.

On one hand, girls learn to serve and obey their fathers and brothers as well as get deep affections from their mothers. On the other hand, boys become more attached to their fathers or uncles. A recent study made by Joan Boateng and Akosua Adomako in Ghana’s Eastern region showed that the majority of the young adolescents were socialized to view proper gender roles as diametrically opposed and polarized. Girls were given instructions to take up home responsibilities and show respect towards men. A Ghaninan women stated: ‘‘My daughter did well the other time so I promised her some malt drink which I did. I saw that she was very excited and so I knew that if I continued to do that for her, she would be happy and be of good conduct.’’ According to this interview, parents are more likely to compliment and encourage their daughters than their sons. Parents typically claim that because females are more obedient than boys, punishment is used more frequently with boys. This would imply that girls develop into more obedient and submissive adults and boys may feel superior because of their more strict "training," which may have led them to believe they are capable of more.

1.3) Men are in charge of decision-making

        As part of their traditional gender responsibilities, most men firmly believe that the decisions that are made in the home are strictly made by them and also feel a certain responsibility of not being able to give up in any situation. This is clearly illustrated by an interview made to Dodzi (a male figure in a Ghanian family) when he stated the following:  ‘At home I make the decisions and perform my roles and do the things that I’m supposed to do for my wife when it comes to our chop money ’. Many men believed that making the decisions in the family was their fundamental role as male figures, as another Ghanian male named Adjo  explained: ‘In most cases, it’s the man who has to initiate such issues of planning for the future of the children. If that fails to happen, the future of the children will be jeopardized’.

Based on these interviews, a man's inability to give his family this guidance would leave a bad impression on him as a man and raise concerns about his manhood to society. Despite this, the social duty of men to lead their families functioned primarily to promote and highlight the position of men as superior to women. In this interview, some men justified their actions and leadership with religious teachings. As evidence, Danquah argued that: ‘As Christ is the head of the church so is a man to the house’. In other words, Ghanian men referred to their higher authority being God to rationalize their perspective on being superior to women.

1.4) Ghanian women are not considered in society

Several men in Ghana provided anecdotes that seemed to imply their perception of women being inferior to them in intelligence and in other aspects of life. This is best illustrated in Elikplim’s argument: “I think that since women are not regarded in society that’s why they’re not allowed to make decisions; we count them as part of our cooking utensils and other things.” The interviewer responded: “So, are you saying that women are counted as cooking utensils and other things?’’  Elikplim: ‘‘Maybe this is one the woman 2, like plate 1, woman 2, and spoon 3.’’ Elikplim’s argument clearly highlights ghanian perspective of women being weak-minded and inferior to men, and as a men it's their responsibility to think for women and provide them guidance.

In the same way, other men stated that a man should listen to his wife's viewpoints since doing so can help him make decisions. The results, however, made it clear that the man was ultimately responsible for making decisions. Although these men appeared to be different from the others, they showed that they had no interest in taking their spouses' opinions into account and that they would not give their wives any authority to influence their decisions. Interviews further revealed that the men's unwillingness to involve their spouses in decision-making appeared to be driven by their concerns about how society would define them. The idea that a decent woman satisfies men served as a tactical strategy to support this conventional masculinity and worked to uphold these men's authority over women.

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