Ghanaian women have less financial decision-making power- Afrobarometer survey shows

Ghanaian women are twice as likely as men to defer to their spouses in decisions about household finances, according to a recent Afrobarometer survey that also finds persistent gender gaps in education and ownership of key assets.

“Men are 10% points more likely than women to say they make decisions themselves about how household money is spent (71% vs. 61%), while women are more than twice as likely as men to defer that decision-making power to their spouses (13% vs. 5%),” the report stated.

Apart from voting in general elections, women are less interested in politics and less likely than men to participate in political and civic activities. The survey also shows a widening digital gap between men and women despite an increase in women’s regular use of the Internet.

“Women trail men in the ownership of a range of key assets, including a bank account (19-percentage-point difference), motor vehicle (17 points), computer (12 points), and mobile phone (9 points),” the report observed.

The Ghanaian government has expressed its full commitment to all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 5, which calls for ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic, and public life.

The President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was named African Union Gender Champion for his efforts in promoting gender equality. But Ghana ranks among the bottom third of countries (133rd out of 189) in gender equality in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2019 Gender Inequality Index.

Source: kofi Ahovi //Businessweekghana.com