Over the years, there has been an extensive debate on why there are only a few women in managerial positions at work places and national governance. This is not limited to Africa or third world countries but the world at large. The percentage of women in parliament to men is grossly minimal. The few who gather enough courage to mount the political podium do not get the support needed to get into parliament. But for the sake of this article I will limit myself to Africa, zooming in on Ghana.
This is a very worrying trend because women make the majority of most countries in Africa. According to the 2011 data from the parliamentary union, women occupy 19.4% of parliamentary seats in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is slightly higher than the world average of 19.3%.
Various reasons have been given by women activist and non-activist groups at large for the lack of ‘enough’ women in the political scene. The challenges of women aspiring for political office are far greater.
The high illiteracy level especially in the rural settings is one of the hurdles that make it difficult for young women to convince voters. Additionally, financial constraints for campaigns worsened by the high level of voter bribery and a culture of women’s political exclusion also contribute to making it difficult for young women to vie for office.
As much as the above reasons are valid and make it difficult for women to penetrate the political arena, what about climbing the ladder to the top at work places? How many women are CEO’s of institutions and multi-national companies in Africa?
What excuse do we have as women in this area of growth and development? Why are most women found occupying ‘low grade’ positions at work?