CHANGING ACTORS, UNCHANGING POLICIES: A CASE STUDY OF GHANAIAN WOMEN'S ...

441 Pages·2010·5.84 MB·English

CHANGING ACTORS, UNCHANGING POLICIES: A CASE STUDY OF
GHANAIAN WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS AND THE STATE
Adolphine Y. Aggor, M.Phil., M.A., B.A. (Hon), Dip. Ed.
A thesis submitted to
the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research
in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
© 2009
Adolphine Y. Aggor
1*1
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ABSTRACT
Recurring debates on enhancing efforts to improve women's status focus on
women's coalition building, women's engagement with the state and multilateral
organizations, institutional and organizational transformation, and, most importantly,
interactive relationships among various development actors. The ultimate goal of these
debates is to offer suggestions that will help promote women's status within the
development process and its impact on women. Using a qualitative case study approach,
this study examines the relationships among the state, multilateral organizations and three
categories of women's organizations in Ghana, and explores the intra- and inter
relationships among these women's organizations. The main argument of the study is
that governing technologies of the state and multilateral organizations control women,
and this control is noticeable through the theories and development policies they
prescribe to women. Instead of being critical of these theories and policy prescriptions,
often women's reactions either directly or indirectly support these technologies and
reproduce or perpetuate women's marginal status. Therefore, neither new approaches to
women nor institutional and organizational changes, aimed at improving women's status,
serve the intended purpose. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources.
The analytical framework of this study are two models on women's engagement
and disengagement with the state, while the rationale behind the establishment of
multilateral organizations, four theoretical approaches to women and development,
notion of governmentality and analytics of government themes serve as the study's
theoretical strands. Ghana serves as a useful case study in efforts to improve women's
status, because it is a model country for the multilateral organizations in terms of its
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political governance and economic performance and response to women's development
concerns. Above all, the state, multilateral organizations and women's organizations
continue to pledge their commitment to improving women's status. What this study
reveals, however, is that an immense gap exists between the rhetoric of commitments and
the reality of the efforts to improve 'women's status'.
KEYWORDS: Ghana, women's organizations, the state, multilateral organizations, donor
funding, feminism, governmentality, analytics of government, development, gender,
triangle of empowerment, policy-making processes, development actors, advocacy,
coalitions building, representation, participation, case study method, qualitative research.
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DEDICATION
To my late parents, Mr. Sebastian Kwami Aggor and Mrs. Esther Afua Aggor who, I
believe, did not fully understand the benefits of formal education, but invested all they
could into educating us, and reminded us that we could attain any heights when we work
hard enough; and, to my daughter Edinam for the difference she has made in my life.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have made it to the end of the Ph.D. program, where we can all share in our long
awaited hearty and hilarious laugh. This accomplishment, however, was possible through
tremendous intellectual, emotional and financial support from many people, only some of
whom I can list here. My heartfelt praises go to God, who gave me the strength and also
brought into my life the right people when I needed them most. I am heavily indebted to
you, Dr. Louise de la Gorgendiere, my co-supervisor, for your financial and emotional
support and your motivational statements, for example, "Adolphine, you are a Ghanaian
scholar, don't disappoint Ghanaians. Prove to everyone that you can do it." and "Don't
tell me you want to quit!" exemplified your commitment to my successful completion.
Above all, your useful intellectual comments often challenged my perspectives on aspects
of this Ph.D. thesis, and helped me in completing the research and the thesis. I am
extremely grateful to Dr. Neil Gerlach, my co-supervisor, for joining my committee
during a crucial period in my final year, and for helping to bring into the thesis valuable
theoretical and organizational insights related particularly to governmentality. Your
willingness to join the committee and your suggestions were highly instrumental in
helping me to complete the thesis. To Dr. Jared Keil, my committee member, I value
your keen interest in my work, your thought provoking comments and other forms of
support throughout this process. Thank you for your patience, concern and intellectual
contributions.
I sincerely thank my research participants. Without your participation, this thesis
would not have been possible. Hopefully, the findings will facilitate a better
understanding of the relationships among the state, multilateral organizations and
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women's organizations, not only in Ghana, but in other countries in attempts to improve
women's conditions. I am also grateful to the authors of the several sources cited in my
work, which enhanced my understanding of my research focus.
My deepest appreciation goes to my colleagues and many friends who constantly
encouraged me to persevere. Your words of encouragement inspired me to complete this
program. I am heavily indebted to Dr. Godwin A. Djietror, my friend and colleague, for
his patience, selfless guidance and emotional support towards the completion of this
thesis. Finally, I am immeasurably indebted to my caring family for their words of
encouragement, financial support, and for shouldering my family responsibilities. To
Edinam, I cannot thank you enough for all that you had to live with to put forward my
education. When you were in elementary school you did not understand my area of
study, but in the past two years of your university education, you constantly questioned
me about my research focus, thesis argument and the originality of the contribution of my
research to sociology. Your intellectual engagement with my education made me realize
how long I have been in school, and the enormous progress you have made in your own
educational attainment. Finally to Jacob, thank you for your understanding and support
in various ways.
Adolphine Y. Aggor
Ottawa, Ontario
August 28,2009
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Abstract ii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement V
Table of contents vii
List of Tables, Map, and Figures xii
List of Appendices xiii
Acronyms xiv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE PROBLEM
1.2 RESEARCH FOCUS 4
Women and Neoliberal Development Approach 7
The Gap between the 'Ought to be' and the 'Reality' 9
1. 3 THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT
AND WOMEN'S ACCESS TO THE STATE 11
1.4 DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN'S STATUS 14
1. 5 WOMEN AND GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES 16
1.6 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON GHANA 18
1.7 STUDY AREA .. 20
1.8 GHANAIAN WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS 22
1. 9 SOURCES OF PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE STUDY 24
1.10 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY ... 26
CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY 29
2.1 INTRODUCTION 29
2.2 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH 29
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2.3 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 32
34
Women and Qualitative Research
36
2.4 CASE STUDY
41
2.5 SOURCES OF DATA 43
Documentary Sources
2.6 DATA COLLECTION 44
Selection of Cases 45
Research Sample 47
Categorizing Participants 51
2.7 FIELD RESEARCH 53
Time of Research 53
Sampling and Interviews 53
Interview Methods 55
Seeking Consent and Some Unanticipated Consequences 57
Participants'Involvement 57
Data Analysis 59
Validity 62
2.8 RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 63
2.9 SUMMARY 64
CHAPTER THREE: DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE
AND THE BIRTH OF THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT 66
3.1 INTRODUCTION 66
3.2 MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE STATE 67
Multilateral Organizations, the State and Approaches to Women and
Development 68
3.3 GHANAIAN WOMEN AND EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESCRIPTIONS 76
3.4 BACKGROUND TO WOMEN'S ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT 83
Theoretical Approaches to Women and Development 85
Women in Development (WID) 85
Limitations of WID Approach 89
Women and Development (WAD) 97
Limitations of WAD 99
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Gender and Development Approach (GAD) 100
Limitations of the GAD Approach 103
Gender Mainstreaming Approach (GM) 106
Limitations of the Gender Mainstreaming Approach 109
3.5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 112
CHAPER FOUR: TECHNOLOGIES OF GOVERNANCE AND
WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS 118
4.1 INTRODUCTION 118
4.2 TWO MODELS ON WOMEN'S ENGAGEMENT WITH THE STATE 119
Everett et al.'s Model: Women's Channels to the State 119
Vargas and Wieringa's Model: A Triangle of Women's
Empowerment 125
Critiquing the Two Models 131
4.3 NOTION OF GOVERNMENTALITY THEMES 133
Analytics of Government ... ... ... ... ... ... 136
Neoliberalism, Civil Society and Governing Technologies 145
4.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 149
CHAPTER FIVE: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN GHANA'S
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE STATUS OF WOMEN 152
5.1 INTRODUCTION 152
5.2 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S AGENDA ... 153
5. 3 WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE
WOMEN'S STATUS IN GHANA 158
Changing Political Regimes, State Policies and Women's Organizations 160
5.4 WOMEN AND THE STATE 163
5.5 THE VISION AND PROMISES OF GHANAIAN WOMEN'S
ORGANIZATIONS 167
5.6 DIFFERENCES AMONG WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS 171
5.7 MULTIPLE ACTORS AND MECHANISMS FOR INCLUSION AND
EXCLUSION 174
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