Abstract:
On gender basis, there is great skewness towards men in the Ghanaian Parliament, such
that majority of seats (246) are occupied by men whilst only 29 seats are occupied by
women. This research therefore aimed at investigating the factors that the predisposition
of voters to vote for women in parliamentary affairs in Ghana, using Manhyia Constituency
as a case study. Case study research based on empirical research method was adopted to
investigate this contemporary phenomenon within its real – life context. Using the 2010
population census data, 400 eligible voters were selected at random by way of secret ballot
based on Yamane (1967) sample size determination formulae. Data were accessed by
means of structured questionnaire. Pre-coded response types were grouped into two;
demographic and socio – economic factors of the eligible voters. The research instrument
was pre-tested at Dichemso and Manhyia with 33 respondents to ascertain its validity and
effectiveness. Data were collected between January 2017 and March 2017. The data
collection was conducted at Dichemso, Afia Kobi, Manhyia, K.O, Odumase and CPC. Data
were coded, entered into the SPSS (version 20) statistical software and cleaned, before
commencing data analysis using STATA (version 13). A mathematical model was
established for the theoretical model as Qif = f (DF, SE); where Qif = predisposition of
voters to vote for women, DF = demographic factors and SE = socio-economic factors. The
results of the study showed that 82% of respondent were willing to vote for a female
candidate in the parliamentary elections. It was further revealed that at p < 0.01, income
level and marital status showed a positive relationship with the tendency to vote for female
candidate contesting for parliamentary election. It was concluded that education, marital
status, employment status and Income are the main factors that affect the predisposition of
voters to vote for women in parliamentary election, and that married eligible voters with
high educational level and income status are more likely to vote for a female candidate
contesting for parliamentary elections. It is recommended that all stakeholders interested
in female parliamentary representations should be at the forefront of endeavouring to make
the Ghanaian society an elite society where majority of citizens are well educated and of
good financial standing.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION, FACULTY
OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE
STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD OF THE MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY
(SOCIAL STUDIES) DEGREE
MARCH, 2018