One Hundred and thirty three women are running in 27 out of the 275 constituencies in Ghana’s Parliamentary race this year. This number is relatively small compared to their male counterparts who number up to one thousand three hundred and thirty two. But to some observers and gender advocates, this number, as low as it appears, represents a 30 percent improvement on previous figures.
Since Ghana ushered in multi-party politics in 1992, women’s representation in Parliament has not increased in any significant way. Women constitute over 51% of Ghana’s population; however, only eight per cent of the 230 MPs are women.
The 2008 elections could only produce 20 female lawmakers. This female MP population even indicates a reduction from the 25 (11%) the 2004 elections recorded. Per available information, developed countries such as Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States of America have high female representation in their legislatures because of deliberate policies they adopted in the past.
On the global scale, Ghana ranks 122 out of 190 countries according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Read more at Ghana Web, published 4 December 2012.
One Hundred and thirty three women are running in 27 out of the 275 constituencies in Ghana’s Parliamentary race this year. This number is relatively small compared to their male counterparts who number up to one thousand three hundred and thirty two. But to some observers and gender advocates, this number, as low as it appears, represents a 30 percent improvement on previous figures.
Since Ghana ushered in multi-party politics in 1992, women’s representation in Parliament has not increased in any significant way. Women constitute over 51% of Ghana’s population; however, only eight per cent of the 230 MPs are women.
The 2008 elections could only produce 20 female lawmakers. This female MP population even indicates a reduction from the 25 (11%) the 2004 elections recorded. Per available information, developed countries such as Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States of America have high female representation in their legislatures because of deliberate policies they adopted in the past.
On the global scale, Ghana ranks 122 out of 190 countries according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Read more at Ghana Web, published 4 December 2012.