Strengthening gender statistics in Ghana is necessary for the implementation of long term development plans. Kofi Ahovi examines what is being done to achieve this.
Fifty-three years after independence, socio-cultural, traditional beliefs and socialization have continued to put women in Ghana in a subordinate position relative to their male counterparts. This is perpetuated by folklore, proverbs, sayings etc, as well as socio-cultural practices that women have to undergo but men do not.
Most Ghanaian women’s economic empowerment depends on agriculture where they predominate as food crop farmers. In Ghana, women constitute about 70% of the bulk of food crop farmers. There is, however, distinct division of labour in Ghanaian agricultural production and marketing. Women are more engaged in tasks such as planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, the transportation of farm produce, agro-processing and the marketing of small amounts of farm, women also cultivate their own farms.
Furthermore, research has shown that women are predominately engaged in food crops production because it requires less capital and labour investment as compared to cash crops. As a result women are responsible for food security in the country as 90% of the food chain is managed by women from planting to processing to marketing.
Increasingly, it has been realized that lack of gender statistics is a major constraint in developing gender responsive policies and programs, let alone measuring the progress made in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including MDG3; promoting gender equality and empowerment of women in the private and public sector; MDG 1 on the eradication of poverty and hunger, MDG 7 ensuring environmental sustainability; MDG 8 developing global partnerships and the other MDGs.
Statistics and indicators on gender relations are needed for informed policy decisions and monitoring of programs, however, this being a relative new field, producers and users of gender statistics are still grappling with the technical issues associated with the production of accurate data, while existing data gaps still greatly limit the usefulness of the few indicators available on gender statistics.
In furtherance of this, the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS) adopted gender statistics as a standing agenda item during its 16th session, held in Conakry guinea in 1999. The commission has ever since discussed gender statistics concerning the agricultural sector and selected AFCAS member countries have since met to prepare thematic census reports providing a gender profile of the agricultural sector, based on agricultural census data.
In the light of this, the National Statistical Service in collaboration with the United Nation Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has launched the Gender Statistics Working Group (GSWG) to bridge the gap in accessing gender information.
The main objective of the working group is to identify gender gabs in the productions of statistics, to outline how gender statistics should be produced and used in Ghana and how to promote the use of such data by government and planning bodies, the media, research institutions and other stakeholders.
Specifically, the group will improve the capacity of both producers and users of gender statistics to produce and use gender sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data to inform policy formulation, monitoring and reporting;
Provide a platform for discussion and exchange of information on new and emerging issues on gender statistics arising from different fora;
Strengthening partnerships and collaboration in the development of gender statistics, while generating gender responsive indicators for policy formulation and implementation; And develop strategies to promote the use of gender statistics and will disseminate information on identified training opportunities.
The Regional Coordinator of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Diana Tempelman, notes that the launch of the working group consolidates all earlier initiatives at international and national levels.
The launch brought together experts, development partners, policy makers, activist, and representatives from the National Statistical Service as well as key government, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for the production of statistics.
Again, gender responsive budgeting has been piloted in three key ministries which are Food and Agriculture, Health and Education. Currently, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC) is in the process of rolling out a gender budgeting initiative road map, working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
Fifty-three years after independence, socio-cultural, traditional beliefs and socialization have continued to put women in Ghana in a subordinate position relative to their male counterparts. This is perpetuated by folklore, proverbs, sayings etc, as well as socio-cultural practices that women have to undergo but men do not.
Most Ghanaian women’s economic empowerment depends on agriculture where they predominate as food crop farmers. In Ghana, women constitute about 70% of the bulk of food crop farmers. There is, however, distinct division of labour in Ghanaian agricultural production and marketing. Women are more engaged in tasks such as planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, the transportation of farm produce, agro-processing and the marketing of small amounts of farm, women also cultivate their own farms.
Furthermore, research has shown that women are predominately engaged in food crops production because it requires less capital and labour investment as compared to cash crops. As a result women are responsible for food security in the country as 90% of the food chain is managed by women from planting to processing to marketing.
Increasingly, it has been realized that lack of gender statistics is a major constraint in developing gender responsive policies and programs, let alone measuring the progress made in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including MDG3; promoting gender equality and empowerment of women in the private and public sector; MDG 1 on the eradication of poverty and hunger, MDG 7 ensuring environmental sustainability; MDG 8 developing global partnerships and the other MDGs.
Statistics and indicators on gender relations are needed for informed policy decisions and monitoring of programs, however, this being a relative new field, producers and users of gender statistics are still grappling with the technical issues associated with the production of accurate data, while existing data gaps still greatly limit the usefulness of the few indicators available on gender statistics.
In furtherance of this, the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS) adopted gender statistics as a standing agenda item during its 16th session, held in Conakry guinea in 1999. The commission has ever since discussed gender statistics concerning the agricultural sector and selected AFCAS member countries have since met to prepare thematic census reports providing a gender profile of the agricultural sector, based on agricultural census data.
In the light of this, the National Statistical Service in collaboration with the United Nation Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has launched the Gender Statistics Working Group (GSWG) to bridge the gap in accessing gender information.
The main objective of the working group is to identify gender gabs in the productions of statistics, to outline how gender statistics should be produced and used in Ghana and how to promote the use of such data by government and planning bodies, the media, research institutions and other stakeholders.
Specifically, the group will improve the capacity of both producers and users of gender statistics to produce and use gender sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data to inform policy formulation, monitoring and reporting;
Provide a platform for discussion and exchange of information on new and emerging issues on gender statistics arising from different fora;
Strengthening partnerships and collaboration in the development of gender statistics, while generating gender responsive indicators for policy formulation and implementation; And develop strategies to promote the use of gender statistics and will disseminate information on identified training opportunities.
The Regional Coordinator of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Diana Tempelman, notes that the launch of the working group consolidates all earlier initiatives at international and national levels.
The launch brought together experts, development partners, policy makers, activist, and representatives from the National Statistical Service as well as key government, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for the production of statistics.
Again, gender responsive budgeting has been piloted in three key ministries which are Food and Agriculture, Health and Education. Currently, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC) is in the process of rolling out a gender budgeting initiative road map, working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
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