Changing Gender Roles in Agriculture?: Evidence from 20 Years of Data in Ghana

40 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2017

See all articles by Isabel Lambrecht

Isabel Lambrecht

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Monica Schuster

University of Antwerp

Sarah Asare

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Laura Pelleriaux

Independent

Date Written: March 17, 2017

Abstract

At a time when donors and governments are increasing efforts to mainstream gender in agriculture, it is critical to revisit long-standing wisdom about gender inequalities in agriculture to be able to more efficiently design and evaluate policy interventions. Many stylized facts about women in agriculture have been repeated for decades. Did nothing really change? Is some of this conventional wisdom simply maintained over time, or has it always been inaccurate? We use longitudinal data from Ghana to assess some of the facts and to evaluate whether gender patterns have changed over time. We focus on five main themes: land, cropping patterns, market participation, agricultural inputs, and employment. We add to the literature by showing new facts and evidence from more than 20 years. Results are varied and highlight the difficulty of making general statements about gender in agriculture.

Keywords: GHANA, WEST AFRICA, AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA, AFRICA, gender, land, cropping patterns, markets, resources, inputs, farm inputs, employment, labor, labour, working population, women, common wisdoms, longitudinal data, feminization of agriculture

Suggested Citation

Lambrecht, Isabel and Schuster, Monica and Asare, Sarah and Pelleriaux, Laura, Changing Gender Roles in Agriculture?: Evidence from 20 Years of Data in Ghana (March 17, 2017). IFPRI Discussion Paper 1623, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2935372

Isabel Lambrecht (Contact Author)

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States
+1 202-862-5600 (Phone)
+1 202-467-4439 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifpri.org/

Monica Schuster

University of Antwerp ( email )

Prinsstraat 13
Antwerp, 2000
Belgium

Sarah Asare

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States
+1 202-862-5600 (Phone)
+1 202-467-4439 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifpri.org/

Laura Pelleriaux

Independent

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