| dc.description.abstract | The condition of the Third World is by no means a topic of new interest to scholars, researchers, and policy-makers. Much time has already been spent trying to ascertain why this part of the world has developed the way it has and what can been done to improve the situation there. Over the years, ideas and opinions on this topic have come and gone. Clearly, no perfect solution has been found to alleviate the poverty, hunger and general underdevelopment of the Third World. Recently, the role of women in the development of these countries has begun to be emphasized. It has become obvious that if plans and strategies for development are to be successful, all parts of the population must participate. Women are clearly no exception to this and must play an active role in the development process.
This paper will present the role that women in the African country of Ghana have played and ought to play in the development process. The paper will begin with a discussion of the various ways in which the word development is used. How researchers and scholars measure this will also be addressed. General background information and a brief history of Ghana since independence in 1957 will follow. Economic development in Ghana since 1957 will be presented after that. A description of women's roles, both past and present, in Africa, and, more specifically, Ghana will then be addressed. Following that, the constraints that are faced when trying to include women in the development process and suggestions for improving women's situation within development will be touched upon. An in-depth look will then be taken at the role women in Ghana have played in the development process and what factors have influenced them the most. The paper will conclude with what the future holds for women in Ghana.
Ghana was chosen as the country to be used in this study for a number of reasons. Although all countries in the Third World are trying to develop, not all of them are succeeding. Ghana is, however, doing well in comparison to many countries, particularly those in Africa. The involvement of the World Bank and their Structural Adjustment Programs have also helped to bring a fair amount of attention to Ghana. This involvement is important in terms of the amount of information available on a country since information about Third World countries and development is often scarce, particularly in relation to women and their role in the development process. Women in Ghana are also very active in agriculture and market trading. Additionally, since the Muslim population in Ghana does not constitute a majority, most Ghanaian women do not have to deal with the constraints that many other African Muslim women feel. This enables them to be more active participants in the changes occurring within their country. For these reasons, Ghana appears to be an appropriate African country in which to study the role of women in the development process | en |
