EXPLORING WOMEN’S LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN GRASS ROOTS POLITICS IN THE AKAN CONSTITUENCY, VOLTA REGION

ABSTRACT This study explored women‘s level of participation in grass roots politics in the Akan constituency of the Volta Region of Ghana. A concurrent triangulation mixed method research design was employed using the Liberal Feminist theory as the theoretical focus of the study. A sample size of two hundred (200) respondents, comprising women aged 18 years and above were purposively sampled from the Akan constituency for the study. The study employed interviews and questionnaires to gather data. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA). The qualitative data on the other hand was thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that poor participation of women existed at the grass root politics in the Akan constituency. It was further revealed that the respondents were mostly motivated by intrinsic factors when they were willing to participate in grass root politics. The challenges that were bedeviling the women were lack of financial support, low level of education, inferiority complex, among others. It was also revealed that there were very few support mechanisms which sought to promote their participation. Such mechanisms were quota system by political parties, community support and political education by government. Findings based on the hypothesis also revealed that age and educational level were not differentiators when it came to level of participation in grass root politics. Among others, the study concluded that the women exclusion from political activities is observed as the result of multiple socio-cultural, individual, and institutional factors. Therefore, the study recommended among others that women‘s participation in grass root politics should be encouraged to make governance more democratic and adult education should be encouraged among the womenfolk.