Negotiating Gender Equality for Women’s Empowerment: Educational Challenges in Selected Communities in the Northern Region of Ghana A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Fatima Nabia Adam Bassit in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Educational Leadership and Management May 2018 ii © Copyright 2018 Fatima Nabia Adam Bassit. All Rights Reserved. D-5 REPORT OF DOCTORAL FINAL ORAL DEFENSE FORM This fom1 must be filed with the Graduate College by the Dissertation Defense Chair (not the student) within 48 hours of the oral defense. fn the case of disagreement within the DefenseCommittee , the Chair should consult with the Office of Graduate Studies. The deadline is typically the first day of linal exams during t.,lJe term in which the student plans to graduate. Please check with the Graduate College for exact term deadline. We have examined the following student who is pursuing a PhD/doctoral degree in EdD School of Education (Degree/Program) Fatima Bassil 13630067 (Student Full Name) (StudentID Number) The results of the final dissertation defense on _05/24/2018_____ _ � WERE or D WERE NOT satisfactory. (MMIDD!YYYY) Each committee member must sign this fonn to show either agreement \vith or dissent from the overall result. Print Name Chair:. l<rii;tyKeily Member: Rebecca Clothey Member; A. Alia Apusigah Member: _______________________ Member:______________________ _ Member______________________ _ Member:______________________ _ We dissent from the report: Member: _______________________ Member: _______________________ Member: Authorizations/Signatures* Chair: Kristy Kelly Date:. _8/4/2018______ Supervising Professor (if not the Chair):______________ Date:. __________ Co-SupervisiJ1g Professor( if applicable):·-------------- Dute: _________ Department Graduate Advisor:___________ ________ Date: _________ Graduate College: Date: __________ *Please Note: ((corrections/edits are necessary, p.leuse sfrm. date, tmd suhmil !his(hnn once allcorreciions have heen made by the student and approved by the commillee. Graduate College 3141 Chestnut Street Main 30 l Philadelphia, PA 19 J 04 Tel: 215 .895 .0366 Fax: 215.895 .0495 Email: [email protected] Web: www .drexel.edu/ttmduntecqllcge (La�I updated .l, 112016) iii Dedications To my entire family, without whom completing this task would not have been possible, especially my dear husband, Bassit, whose love and support gave me the needed vigor and enthusiasm. I am indeed grateful. To my children, Nasarah, Faako, Tipagya, and Nyagsi: Your quest for learning and your desire to achieve academic excellence, coupled with your good character, inspired and cheered me on to complete this program. It is my hope and prayer that one day you will be inspired by this. iv Acknowledgments Truly, life is unpredictable, and any long journey begins with the first step. As my journey on this program and my research work is about to come to an end, it is my pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to the people whose assistance contributed to the success of this work. As Mohammed Ali noted, “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it; anything you want out of life, change begins with you.” This will be one of my greatest accomplishments in life. I would have not been able to achieve it without some dedicated individuals who sacrificed their time to make this a reality. I would like to thank my supervising professor, Dr. Kristy Kelly, for her guidance and encouragement throughout this unnerving yet amazing journey. Honestly, you have inspired me to become a gender researcher and specialist, considering your dedication to the work on gender issues. I was not fully aware of gender work until we met. Since meeting, I have admired you as a person and been inspired by your work. I would also like to say a special thank you to Dr. Rebecca Clothey, whose interest in my work has been inspiring and whose criticisms of my work have been constructive. A special thank you also to Professor Agnes Atia Apusigah of the University for Development Studies, Ghana, whose thoughtfulness and suggestions clarified details and gave me a better understanding of gender issues in Ghana. I cannot mention all the wonderful people I met on this journey, both at Drexel University in the United States and in Ghana, because of space constraints. However, I must not fail to express my gratitude to Dr. W. Edward Bureau at Drexel, whose in-depth knowledge guided me in the early stages of research design. You introduced me to qualitative research and analysis when I took your course in qualitative research. Special v thanks to Dr. Michael Brigandi Agurugu at the Tamale Technical University, Ghana; your perspectives and prompts were motivating and encouraging, and your support is appreciated. In addition, Mr. Yakubu Alhassan at the Tamale Technical University, thank you for the brotherly love and support. I would like to thank all my friends, both in the United States and Ghana, who supported and encouraged me to move on when the journey was hard-hitting. I would also like to thank Mr. Abdulai Huzaimah for your unwavering support and friendship. I would like to express my gratitude to all the participants in this study who volunteered their time and viewpoints to make this study a success. Your experiences and views on the topic enhanced this study. My highest indebtedness goes to my mother, Hajia Nafisah Yahaya, and my late father, Chief Adam Nabia Ziblim. My mother has toiled relentlessly in supporting me to have the level of education she and my father were not privileged to have. Mother (Mma), my endless love and respect for you; may you live long to reap the fruits of your labor. Sadly, my father (Mba) is not alive today to see his little girl grow into a woman and reach this milestone. Wherever you are, father, you have my everlasting love and respect. To my senior sister, Hajia Samata N. Adam, I thank you for being the head of the family and laying the foundation for me to appreciate the value of education. You are indeed a trailblazer! To my brother, Mr. Shani Nabia Adam; my second sister, Hajia Amama Nabia Adam; and my little brother, Mr. Tijani Ahmed Iddrisu, I am greatly indebted to you all for your encouragement and advice throughout my doctoral program, as well as during this study. vi Finally, my appreciation and love go to my dearest husband Bassit Salifu; without your support, this study would not have been possible. I am forever grateful for your love and encouragement and will forever remain indebted. To my children, Nasarah Nihad, who wants to one day be a technologist; Faako Suad, who wants to become a scientist; Tipagya Hafsah, who wants to become a medical doctor; and Nyagsi Bilal, who will grow up to be an engineer. I thank you all for helping me come this far and making this dream of mine come true. vii Table of Contents Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiii Abstract ........................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Problem ................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Research Problem to be Researched ........................................................ 7 Purpose and Significance of the Problem ........................................................................... 7 Purpose Statement ................................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Problem .................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 10 Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................................11 Researcher Stances and Experiential Base ............................................................11 Conceptual Framework of the Study ................................................................................ 16 Gender and Education ........................................................................................... 17 Gender and Cultural Norms .................................................................................. 18 Gender Negotiation and Empowerment................................................................ 21 Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................... 22 Assumptions and Limitations ........................................................................................... 24 viii Assumptions .......................................................................................................... 24 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 25 Summary ..........................................................................................................................