Press release By Maame Akua Amoah Twum
Gender inequalities persist in Ghana, and citizens expect greater government efforts to erase them, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
Women still trail men when it comes to educational attainment and control over how household monies are spent, survey findings show.
Ghanaians voice strong support for women to have the same rights as men in land ownership and inheritance.
In the political sphere, a majority believe that a woman who runs for political office will gain standing in the community, but many also say it is likely that she will be criticised or harassed.
Overall, a majority of citizens give the government a failing grade for its efforts to promote equal rights and opportunities for women.
Key findings
- Women are less likely than men to have secondary education (37% vs. 45%) or post- secondary education (13% vs. 24%) and more likely than men to have no formal schooling (20% vs. 11%) or only primary education (30% vs. 20%) (Figure 1).
- Half (51%) of Ghanaian women say they make household financial decisions independently, compared to 60% of men (Figure 2).
- Most Ghanaians (85%) say women should have the same right as men to own and inherit land. Men are less inclined than women to believe in equality when it comes to land (82% vs. 89%) (Figure 3).
- More than eight in 10 citizens (86%) think a woman will gain standing in the community if she runs for elective office. But 42% also say it’s likely she will be criticised or harassed, and 35% think she will probably face problems with her family (Figure 4).
- A majority (55%) of Ghanaians say the government is doing “fairly badly” or “very badly” at promoting equal rights and opportunities for women (Figure 5).