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Africa (Sub-Sahara) | Corporate | Development | Economic Growth & Entrepreneurship | Gender | Ghana
Business Strategies to Empower African Women
Report | September 14, 2017
Charney Research, in conjunction with BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), conducted two phases of research, quantitative and qualitative, on working women in Ghana. We conducted focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveyed women employed in the three most prominent Ghanaian business sectors: information and communications technology (ICT), garment manufacturing, and mining.
Our research was conducted through the lens of eight building blocks of female workers’ experience: safe and equitable employment opportunities, access & control over economic resources and opportunities, education and training, social protection and childcare, reproductive health and family formation, freedom from violence, voice in society, and freedom of movement.
Ghana, the envy of many developing African nations, presents many positives across all three sectors with few differences between them. That being said, Ghana still faces the burdens of poverty and gender inequity and therefore there is room to grow. Breaking it down to women as direct employees and women in the supply chain, we see distinct disadvantages for those in the latter category.
Our general recommendations include: the review of compensation and benefits policies, particularly for non-permanent employees, sexual harassment abuse hotlines, free on-site medical care, flex time for mothers, more training opportunities at work, in and outside working hours, incubator space and low-interest credit for startups, employer-provided transport, and low-cost rental housing.
For more specific recommendations and the full report click here.
