Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai; Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong; Grace Sintim-Adasi; Emelia Sarpong; Akosua Darkwa

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai, Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong, Grace Sintim-Adasi, Emelia Sarpong, Akosua Darkwa

Published in Social Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 5)

Received: 16 October 2014 Accepted: 29 October 2014 Published: 20 November 2014

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Abstract

The study looked at socio-cultural factors that impede women faculty career progress. A total of 142 faculties made up of 33 females and 109 males were sampled for the study using a stratified sampling strategy from the faculties, schools and institutes. Using a mixed method, the study compared male and female faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon using a proxy of roles and responsibilities both at home to find out which gender has more responsibilities in taking care of family and home. The findings in the study show the prevalence of subtle gender discrimination mechanisms that hinder women’s opportunities for career advancement and other career opportunities. The study shows that the university does not effectively create the necessary conditions to support mothers with children under two years. The invisibility of female faculty is as a result of their roles as wives and mothers, which invariably leaves them with little or no time to participate in informal networks. The study found that many women than men experience conflict regarding their ability to simultaneously play the role of wife, mother and worker. The study recommends that in order for the University of Ghana, Legon to retain those women who are already in the system, it is necessary to give them responsibilities that would increase their skills in leadership positions. Structural changes, such as "family friendly" policies in the form of flexible faculty meeting time may also be helpful so that female faculty with children can participate effectively in the university.

Published in	Social Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
Page(s)	170-176
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Glass Ceiling, Socio-Cultural Barriers, Gender, childcare

References

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Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai, Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong, Grace Sintim-Adasi, Emelia Sarpong, Akosua Darkwa. (2014). Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Social Sciences, 3(5), 170-176. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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ACS Style

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai; Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong; Grace Sintim-Adasi; Emelia Sarpong; Akosua Darkwa. Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Soc. Sci. 2014, 3(5), 170-176. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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AMA Style

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai, Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong, Grace Sintim-Adasi, Emelia Sarpong, Akosua Darkwa. Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Soc Sci. 2014;3(5):170-176. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14,
  author = {Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai and Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong and Grace Sintim-Adasi and Emelia Sarpong and Akosua Darkwa},
  title = {Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon},
  journal = {Social Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {170-176},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20140305.14},
  abstract = {The study looked at socio-cultural factors that impede women faculty career progress. A total of 142 faculties made up of 33 females and 109 males were sampled for the study using a stratified sampling strategy from the faculties, schools and institutes. Using a mixed method, the study compared male and female faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon using a proxy of roles and responsibilities both at home to find out which gender has more responsibilities in taking care of family and home. The findings in the study show the prevalence of subtle gender discrimination mechanisms that hinder women’s opportunities for career advancement and other career opportunities. The study shows that the university does not effectively create the necessary conditions to support mothers with children under two years. The invisibility of female faculty is as a result of their roles as wives and mothers, which invariably leaves them with little or no time to participate in informal networks. The study found that many women than men experience conflict regarding their ability to simultaneously play the role of wife, mother and worker. The study recommends that in order for the University of Ghana, Legon to retain those women who are already in the system, it is necessary to give them responsibilities that would increase their skills in leadership positions. Structural changes, such as "family friendly" policies in the form of flexible faculty meeting time may also be helpful so that female faculty with children can participate effectively in the university.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon
AU  - Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai
AU  - Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong
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AU  - Akosua Darkwa
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N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
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AB  - The study looked at socio-cultural factors that impede women faculty career progress. A total of 142 faculties made up of 33 females and 109 males were sampled for the study using a stratified sampling strategy from the faculties, schools and institutes. Using a mixed method, the study compared male and female faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon using a proxy of roles and responsibilities both at home to find out which gender has more responsibilities in taking care of family and home. The findings in the study show the prevalence of subtle gender discrimination mechanisms that hinder women’s opportunities for career advancement and other career opportunities. The study shows that the university does not effectively create the necessary conditions to support mothers with children under two years. The invisibility of female faculty is as a result of their roles as wives and mothers, which invariably leaves them with little or no time to participate in informal networks. The study found that many women than men experience conflict regarding their ability to simultaneously play the role of wife, mother and worker. The study recommends that in order for the University of Ghana, Legon to retain those women who are already in the system, it is necessary to give them responsibilities that would increase their skills in leadership positions. Structural changes, such as "family friendly" policies in the form of flexible faculty meeting time may also be helpful so that female faculty with children can participate effectively in the university.
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Author Information

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai

Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana
Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong

Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana
Grace Sintim-Adasi

Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana
Emelia Sarpong

Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana
Akosua Darkwa

Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

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Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai, Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong, Grace Sintim-Adasi, Emelia Sarpong, Akosua Darkwa. (2014). Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Social Sciences, 3(5), 170-176. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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ACS Style

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai; Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong; Grace Sintim-Adasi; Emelia Sarpong; Akosua Darkwa. Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Soc. Sci. 2014, 3(5), 170-176. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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AMA Style

Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai, Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong, Grace Sintim-Adasi, Emelia Sarpong, Akosua Darkwa. Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon. Soc Sci. 2014;3(5):170-176. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14,
  author = {Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai and Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong and Grace Sintim-Adasi and Emelia Sarpong and Akosua Darkwa},
  title = {Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon},
  journal = {Social Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {170-176},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20140305.14},
  abstract = {The study looked at socio-cultural factors that impede women faculty career progress. A total of 142 faculties made up of 33 females and 109 males were sampled for the study using a stratified sampling strategy from the faculties, schools and institutes. Using a mixed method, the study compared male and female faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon using a proxy of roles and responsibilities both at home to find out which gender has more responsibilities in taking care of family and home. The findings in the study show the prevalence of subtle gender discrimination mechanisms that hinder women’s opportunities for career advancement and other career opportunities. The study shows that the university does not effectively create the necessary conditions to support mothers with children under two years. The invisibility of female faculty is as a result of their roles as wives and mothers, which invariably leaves them with little or no time to participate in informal networks. The study found that many women than men experience conflict regarding their ability to simultaneously play the role of wife, mother and worker. The study recommends that in order for the University of Ghana, Legon to retain those women who are already in the system, it is necessary to give them responsibilities that would increase their skills in leadership positions. Structural changes, such as "family friendly" policies in the form of flexible faculty meeting time may also be helpful so that female faculty with children can participate effectively in the university.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Socio-Cultural Factors to Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon
AU  - Hannah Benedicta Taylor-Abdulai
AU  - Lipsey Samuel Appiah-Kwapong
AU  - Grace Sintim-Adasi
AU  - Emelia Sarpong
AU  - Akosua Darkwa
Y1  - 2014/11/20
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
T2  - Social Sciences
JF  - Social Sciences
JO  - Social Sciences
SP  - 170
EP  - 176
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2326-988X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140305.14
AB  - The study looked at socio-cultural factors that impede women faculty career progress. A total of 142 faculties made up of 33 females and 109 males were sampled for the study using a stratified sampling strategy from the faculties, schools and institutes. Using a mixed method, the study compared male and female faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon using a proxy of roles and responsibilities both at home to find out which gender has more responsibilities in taking care of family and home. The findings in the study show the prevalence of subtle gender discrimination mechanisms that hinder women’s opportunities for career advancement and other career opportunities. The study shows that the university does not effectively create the necessary conditions to support mothers with children under two years. The invisibility of female faculty is as a result of their roles as wives and mothers, which invariably leaves them with little or no time to participate in informal networks. The study found that many women than men experience conflict regarding their ability to simultaneously play the role of wife, mother and worker. The study recommends that in order for the University of Ghana, Legon to retain those women who are already in the system, it is necessary to give them responsibilities that would increase their skills in leadership positions. Structural changes, such as "family friendly" policies in the form of flexible faculty meeting time may also be helpful so that female faculty with children can participate effectively in the university.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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