Podcast
Questions and Answers
Women’s ability to organize for collective action, the state of their organizations and their ability to influence policy changes that promote positive livelihood outcomes, social development and substantive democratic ______ for women are all elements of women’s enjoyment of their citizenship.
Women’s ability to organize for collective action, the state of their organizations and their ability to influence policy changes that promote positive livelihood outcomes, social development and substantive democratic ______ for women are all elements of women’s enjoyment of their citizenship.
rights
Women’s organizing in Ghana has come a long way from the ______ efforts of women to establish associations to promote women’s interests in the colonial period.
Women’s organizing in Ghana has come a long way from the ______ efforts of women to establish associations to promote women’s interests in the colonial period.
fledgling
These efforts resulted in two national organizations in the post-independence period, which were merged to form the ______ Council of Ghana Women.
These efforts resulted in two national organizations in the post-independence period, which were merged to form the ______ Council of Ghana Women.
National
This became an integral part of the then ruling ______ Peoples Party (CPP), and was disbanded with the party when the government of Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966.
This became an integral part of the then ruling ______ Peoples Party (CPP), and was disbanded with the party when the government of Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966.
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This resulted in close to 15 years of a gap in national organizing, and a proliferation of local women’s ______ groups until the early 1980s.
This resulted in close to 15 years of a gap in national organizing, and a proliferation of local women’s ______ groups until the early 1980s.
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Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the ______, led by Mrs Rawlings, the wife of Ghana’s then head of state, dominated the landscape of women’s organizing.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the ______, led by Mrs Rawlings, the wife of Ghana’s then head of state, dominated the landscape of women’s organizing.
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Independent women’s organizations in that period found themselves ______ from the public arena and alienated from the national machinery for Women, the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD).
Independent women’s organizations in that period found themselves ______ from the public arena and alienated from the national machinery for Women, the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD).
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Over the years, political instability and repression of mass movements under one-party rule and military regimes in the first 20 years of Ghana’s independence proved damaging for efforts to build a mass movement and a strong civil society base for ______.
Over the years, political instability and repression of mass movements under one-party rule and military regimes in the first 20 years of Ghana’s independence proved damaging for efforts to build a mass movement and a strong civil society base for ______.
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Close to 30 years of economic ______ and the transformation of the policymaking culture has created the need for small quick-response organizing for effective participation in policy dialogue.
Close to 30 years of economic ______ and the transformation of the policymaking culture has created the need for small quick-response organizing for effective participation in policy dialogue.
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It has left the mass movements in Ghana fragmented and weakened, suffering from the co-optation and distortion of their ideas, constant shifts in ______ priorities, and experiencing challenges from fundamentalisms of different shades.
It has left the mass movements in Ghana fragmented and weakened, suffering from the co-optation and distortion of their ideas, constant shifts in ______ priorities, and experiencing challenges from fundamentalisms of different shades.
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NGO-ization has been identified as one of the key challenges facing women’s movements the world over since the ______.
NGO-ization has been identified as one of the key challenges facing women’s movements the world over since the ______.
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NGO-ization refers not to the existence of ______ per se, but more to the growing dominance of a particular organiza- tional form and politics.
NGO-ization refers not to the existence of ______ per se, but more to the growing dominance of a particular organiza- tional form and politics.
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The national and global ______ agendas that actively promote certain organizational forms and practices.
The national and global ______ agendas that actively promote certain organizational forms and practices.
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Three decades of NGO-ization has been identified as a key factor in the lack of progress on questions of ______ rights around the world.
Three decades of NGO-ization has been identified as a key factor in the lack of progress on questions of ______ rights around the world.
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It is ______ that have the power to change the most embedded and hierarchical systems.
It is ______ that have the power to change the most embedded and hierarchical systems.
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While research, advocacy, campaigns and other interventions by NGOs do change formal mechanisms such as laws, policies and ______ allocations, it is movements that have the power to change the most embedded and hierarchical systems.
While research, advocacy, campaigns and other interventions by NGOs do change formal mechanisms such as laws, policies and ______ allocations, it is movements that have the power to change the most embedded and hierarchical systems.
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Study Notes
Women's Organizing in Ghana
- Women's ability to organize for collective action, influence policy changes, and enjoy citizenship rights are interconnected.
- Women's organizing in Ghana has a long history, dating back to the colonial period, with initial efforts to establish associations promoting women's interests.
Post-Independence Period
- Two national organizations were formed in the post-independence period, which later merged to form the National Council of Ghana Women.
- The National Council was an integral part of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) but was disbanded when the government was overthrown in 1966.
1966-1980s
- A gap in national organizing occurred, with local women's welfare groups emerging in the absence of a national organization.
- In the early 1980s, political conditions led to the establishment of new national women's organizations, including the Federation of Ghana Women and the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM).
1980s-1990s
- The DWM, led by Mrs. Rawlings, dominated the women's organizing landscape, enjoying close relations with state institutions and donor agencies.
- Independent women's organizations were squeezed out of the public arena and alienated from the national machinery for women, the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD).
Challenges to Women's Organizing
- Political instability, repression of mass movements, and economic liberalization have damaged efforts to build a strong civil society base for women.
- Close to 30 years of economic liberalization have created the need for small, quick-response organizing for effective participation in policy dialogue.
- NGO-ization has been identified as a key challenge facing women's movements globally since the 1990s, characterized by a lack of mass base, connection, and accountability, and donor dependence.
Consequences of NGO-ization
- NGO-ization has led to the substitution of NGOs for civil society and mass movements, and a short-term, project-based approach that favors magic bullets over long-range, broad agendas for women's rights and gender equality.
- Three decades of NGO-ization have been identified as a key factor in the lack of progress on women's rights worldwide, as NGOs lack the capacity for sustained change and struggle to deal with the state and powerful forces on a footing of strength.
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Description
Learn about women's collective action, policy influence, and citizenship rights in Ghana, from colonial period to post-independence era.
