Gender equity and inclusion in Ghana; good intentions, uneven progress

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate gender, equality and inclusion within Ghana through the examination of legislations, policies and programmes. The paper evaluates what governments, international organisations and civil society groups have been marshalling towards addressing issues around the world of work, with particular focus on gender diversity, equality and inclusion in Ghana. The paper highlights the fact that gender objectives have gained recognition and public policy momentum, yet gender segregation, wage inequality and low participation rates for females in tertiary education and the professional workforce do not match the rhetoric of the policy pronouncements.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity
• Ghana
• gender equity
• public policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Desmond Tutu Ayentimi

Dr Desmond Tutu Ayentimi is Associate Fellow Higher Education Academy and a Lecturer of Management in the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Hobart. He holds a PhD in Management from Curtin University, Western Australia. His research is multi-disciplinary that focuses on institutional and cultural constraints and opportunities in HRM practice transfer to less developed and developing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. His research interests include Multinational Enterprises HRM, technology and employment relations, cross-cultural management and HRD in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hossein Ali Abadi

Dr Hossein Ali Abadi is a Lecturer in Management in the School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Hossein is a Member of the Centre for Work and Organisational Performance. He received his PhD in Management at Curtin University. He has an international career spanning work in the industry and academia, in the Middle East, England and Australia including human resource roles in the manufacturing industry. His areas of research interest are profession satisfaction, employee turnover and gig economy.

Bernice Adjei

Bernice Adjei holds M.Phil. HRM from the University of Ghana Business School. She is Assistant Lecturer of HRM in the Faculty of IT Business, Ghana Technology University College, Kumasi Campus. Her research interest are Human Resource Management, Leadership, Gender and Development and Employment Relations.

John Burgess

John Burgess is a Professor of Human Resource Management at School of Management, RMIT University. His research interests include the HRM practices of multinational enterprises, the transition from education to employment, working time arrangements and health, the transition from military to civilian employment, and the policy implications of contingent employment. He previously held professorial appointments at Curtin University (Perth, Australia) and the University of Newcastle (Australia). He is a co-editor of Personnel Review, an area editor of Economics and Labour Relations Review, and is on the editorial board of the Human Resource Management Journal.