Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 8-2011 SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF GHANA'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW OF 2007 Patrick Tandoh-offin Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Part of the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Tandoh-offin,a P trick, "SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF GHANA'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW OF 2007" (2011). All Dissertations. 805. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/805 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF GHANA'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW OF 2007 _______________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Policy Studies _______________________________________________________ by Patrick Tandoh-Offin August 2011 _______________________________________________________ Accepted by: Kenneth L. Robinson, Committee Chair Catherine F. Mobley Robert W. Smith Michael A. Morris Bruce W. Ransom II ABSTRACT This study investigates the role of civil society organizations (CSOs), especially gender-based groups in increasing the “substantive” representation or the perspectives, views, and concerns of women in public policy-making in emerging democracies. In the last 30 years, calls for equality in the representation of women have received a boost mainly because of the disparity between the proportions of women in national populations and in legislatures. In Ghana where women are about 50 percent of the population, women constitute only 8.7 percent of the 230-member parliament as of January 2009. Such disparities produce critical implications for women’s empowerment and participation in public policy-making, especially in emerging democracies. Ghana’s return to democratic governance in 1992 brought with it guaranteed freedoms and new avenues for participation by CSOs. Various civil society groups, including the women’s movement have emerged to take advantage of the new avenues to organize and be part of the democratic process. However, there is yet to be a comprehensive analysis of the role these groups play in the democratization process, especially in increasing women’s substantive representation and participation in Ghana, and so this study fills that gap. This mixed-method qualitative research applies a revision of John Kingdon’s multiple streams framework to comprehensively analyze the activities of the women’s movement to understand their motivations, goals, and impacts on the democratic process in Ghana. The archival information and also key informant interviews reviewed about the resources, strategies, and challenges faced by the women’s movement ii in their advocacy for Ghana’s 2007 Domestic Violence Law showed that such groups play vital role in democratization. A major finding from this study is that gender-based CSOs enhance avenues for attracting much-needed outside resources for institution and capacity building for both grassroots groups and official policy actors to improve the democratic process, especially in emerging societies. The study therefore argues that societies should recognize and support the development of CSOs to increase the avenues for participation by under- represented groups like women in the policy process. This position is more relevant in societies where women still have “token” representations or fewer than 30 percent women in legislatures, and where institutional inadequacies exacerbate an already precarious situation for women’s participation in the policy process. iii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family, to AGATHA MENSAH (Agoh Nana), my mother and Alhaji Ahmad M. Afrifah my great uncle, whose vision, inspiration, support, and courage enabled me to reach this height in my academic life. It is also dedicated in loving memory of my great-grandmother Maame Tano Adwoa who, despite being illiterate, played important role in my formative years to make me who I am today. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to the Almighty God for how far He has brought me. I am very fortunate to have many people to thank for their support that enabled me to finish this dissertation. I would like to thank Dr. Kenneth L. Robinson, my committee chair, for his patience, positive encouragement, and his relentless guidance throughout the writing of this dissertation. I would also like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions, thoughtful criticisms, and suggestions of Dr. Catherine Mobley. I am heartily thankful to Dr. Michael Morris and Dr. Robert Smith for their encouragement, supervision and support beyond the dissertation process. I am grateful for the encouraging words, and the many opportunities they extended to me for my professional development. I am particularly thankful to Dr. Bruce Ransom with whom I worked, and who provided me with avenues for academic and personal development throughout my doctoral studies at Clemson. Our common research and professional interests enabled me to benefit immensely from Dr. Ransom’s rich experiences, and his constant thought- provoking conversations shaped this dissertation and in many ways, my professional life. To my committee members Drs. Catherine Mobley, Robert Smith, Michael Morris and Bruce Ransom, I am thankful for your encouraging words, thoughtful criticisms, time and attention during the busy and stressful dissertation process. To all the staff at the Strom Thurmond Institute for assisting me with all the administrative tasks necessary to complete my doctoral studies: Carolyn Benson, Dr. Robert Carey, Diane Groomes, Geoffrey Mikota, and Patrick Harris. I am also grateful to Angie Guido of the Political Science Department for her administrative support. I am v exceptionally grateful to Mrs. Donna London, Director of the Jim Self Center on the Future at the Strom Thurmond Institute who provided me with enormous research opportunities, as well as emotional and financial support throughout my four years at Clemson University. Special thanks also go to my wife, Eunice and my son, Eucled, who encouraged and supported me in various ways during my studies as a doctoral student at Clemson University. I am very grateful to Madam Patience Rachel Adoasi and her children for their friendship that made it possible for me to remain focused on my dreams. I am eternally grateful to Mr. Samuel Tutu-Yeboah, Assistant Headmaster of Akim Swedru Senior High School, and Madam Comfort Ntifo, who have played instrumental roles in my academic and personal development. I am very grateful to my circle of friends, school mates, and mentors, whose prayers, advice, and life experiences continue to inspire me to want to be a better person. I am very grateful to all the gender-rights advocates in Ghana who, despite their busy schedules, agreed to participate in my key informant interviews. Your input enriched my work, educated me, and served as useful sources of information to me and my work in many ways. Special thanks to Sarah Antwi-Boasiako for helping to identify and also for making initial contacts with individuals who eventually provided important information for this dissertation. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Overview of Research .............................................................................. 1 Research Question .................................................................................... 3 Objective of the Study .............................................................................. 4 Relevance of the Study ............................................................................. 5 Rationale for the Research ....................................................................... 8 Scope and Organization of the Study ..................................................... 15 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................. 18 Public Policy-Making in an African Context ......................................... 19 Representation of Women ...................................................................... 24 Quota Laws and Women’s Representation ...........................................