DEPARTMENT
OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY
OF GHANA
FIRST
SEMESTER, 2014/2015
LECTURER:
A. K. D. FREMPONG
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COURSE
TITLE
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GENDER
AND POLITICS
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COURSE
CODE
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POLI
453
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PURPOSE AND
OBJECTIVES
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Democracy
requires inclusive political participation where all adults have political
privileges because it is based on the principle that the legitimacy of power
to make decisions about people’s lies should derive from those affected
Often
democracy is defined in gender neutral terms with seemingly universal
concepts such as the people’s right to vote and to contest for office, which
assumes equality between men and women, but it tends to hide substantial gender
inequality. While women may appear to be included in definitions of democracy
they may not be included in practice. The limited presence of women in
political life in most countries compared to their size of the population is
a sign that veiled discrimination. Many obstacles still exist which prevent
women from having the same voice and size of representation as men in
politics and decision-making while measures to deal with them have not always
proved successful in practice.
This course seeks to examine some of the
trajectories outlined above. It begins with the study of some basic concepts
in, and rationale for, gender and politics.
It then discusses the obstacles that confront women in politics and
affirmative action to deal with them as well as international/national
documents/platforms relating to gender and politics. In addition, it makes an
in-depth study of the prospects and challenges of the role of women in
Ghanaian politics at both national and local government levels.
Upon
completion of this course students should be able to:
CASE STUDIES: Rwanda, Ghana
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WEEK
NO
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Date
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Lecture
Course
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Tutorials
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Venue
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Assessment
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1-3
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Issues of Gender
and Politics
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Basic Concepts in
Gender & Politics
Rationale for
Gender and Politics
Forms of
representation
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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4-5
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Obstacles to
Women in Politics: Political, Socio-Economic, Ideological & Psychological
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Examination
of various forms of obstacles
Suggestions for
removing obstacles
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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6
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International/National
Documents/Platforms on Women in Politics: CEDAW, MDGs, Beijing Platform, The
Women’s Manifesto
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Discuss relevant
portions of documents/platforms relating to women in politics: strengths
& weaknesses
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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7-8
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Affirmative
Action for Women in Politics: Electoral Systems & Quotas, etc, role of
women organizations
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Merits &
Demerits of Affirmative Action
Effects of
Electoral Systems on Women
Types &
relative merits of Quotas
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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9-11
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Gender and
National Politics in Ghana
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Discussion of
prospects and challenges women in national politics in Ghana
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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12-13
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Gender and Local
Governance in Ghana
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Discussion of prospects
and challenges women in local governance in Ghana
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Lecture: JQB 19
Tutorial: DLR
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Reading List
Hazel Reeves & Sally Badan (2000) Gender and Development: Concepts and
Definitions, Brighton: University of Sussex Institute of Development
Studies
Sarah Childs & Mona Lena Crooks (2006) “Gender
and Politics: The State of the Art”, in POLITICS,
Vol. 26, No.1, pp.18-28.
Josefa ‘Gigi’ Francisco, ed. (2005) Gender, Governance and Democracy: Women in
Politics, Isis International –Manila Monogragh Series 1, Vol. 1,
Pamela Paxton (2009) “Gender and Development”, in
C.W Haerpfer, P. Bernhagen, R.F. Inglehart & C. Welzel, eds. Democratization, Oxford: Oxford
University Press, pp 145-257.
Marilyn Waring (2010) Women’s Political Participation, Institute of Public Policy,
Auckland University of Technology.
Wendy Stokes (2005) Women in Contemporary Politics, Cambridge: Polity Press.
Nadezdha Shvedova (2002) “Obstacles to Women’s
Participation in Parliament” in International
IDEAS Handbook, Stockholm
Bernice Sam (2009) Interrogating Affirmative Action
as Strategy for Increasing Women’s Participation in Politics: The Rhetoric and
The Reality, Accra: WiLDAF Ghana.
Dzodzi Tsikata (2009) Affirmative Action and the
Prospects of Gender Equality in Ghanaian Politics, Accra: ABANTU, WIB &
FES-Ghana.
Drude Dahlerup, ed. (2006) Women, Quotas & Politics, New York/London: Routledge
Marguerite El-Helou, ed.(2009) “Gender Quotas in
Parliamentary Representation”, Al-Raida, The Pioneer Special Issue,
Summer/Fall.
Beatrix Allah-Mensah (2005) Women in Politics and Public Life in Ghana, Accra: Friedrich Elbert
Stiftung.
Beatrix Allah-Mensah (2001) “Political Parties,
Gender and Representation: The Case of Ghana’s
Election 2000”, in J. R. A.
Ayee, ed. Deepening Democracy in Ghana:
Politics of the 2000 Elections, Accra:
Freedom Publications, pp. 122-140.
Michael Nkansah (2009) Advocating for Increment in Number of Women in Public Office in Ghana:
From Independence to 2008, M. Phil thesis, Faculty of Psychology, University
of Bergin, Norway.
ABANTU (2008) The
Women’s Manifesto for Ghana, Accra: The Coalition on the Women’s Manifesto
for Ghana hosted by ABANTU for Development.
The
UN Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women,
1979.
The
UN Millennium Development Goals, 2000.
The
Beijing Platform of Action, 1995
Beatrix Allah-Mensah (2003) “Gender and Local
Governance in Ghana: The Case of the 2002 District Level Elections ” in N.
Amponsah & K. Boafo-Arthur, eds. Local
Government in Ghana: Grassroots Participation in the 2002 Local Government
Elections in Ghana, Accra: Uniflow Publishing Ltd, pp. 137-163.
NB:
Students must as well do internet searches of their own.
Examination
The examination will be in two parts: Interim
Assessment (30%) and End-of- Semester Examination 70%. The Interim Assessment
will be a take-home assignment and the End of Semester Examination will consist
of a two-and-half-hour paper with two sections: Section A has 50 short answer
questions covering the entire course. Attention must therefore be paid to
details on topics treated. Section B will have three essay questions from
which students answer one.
