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Patriarchy and Women's Economic Empowerment

A workshop organized by the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College and Department of Economics, University of Ghana

Venue: Cedi Conference Centre, University of Ghana, Accra

Date: October 10, 2022

The main purpose of the workshop is to present the findings from the research project “Women’s economic empowerment and control over time: a meso-, and micro-level study of the determinants of women’s control over their time in sub-Saharan Africa” conducted by Levy Institute scholars in collaboration with scholars based in sub-Saharan Africa. The project builds on previous research on the Levy Institute Measure of Time and Income Poverty (LIMTIP). We used a multi-country (Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, and Tanzania) study design to examine women’s economic empowerment through the lens of their control over time spent on income-generating activities, household production activities, and personal care.

Feminist scholarship has pointed to patriarchal structures, institutions, and values as key determinants of the division of productive and reproductive activities between men and women. We focus on community-level (meso-level) indicators of patriarchy because they matter for individuals’ decision-making and actions in addition to attitudes or practices within the household. Further, we limit our attention to two aspects of patriarchy that pertain, respectively, to household structure and ideology. We examine the relationship between women’s decision-making power in a variety of domains (e.g., making large purchases for the household) and the time they devote to household production and income-generating activities, as mediated by patriarchal structures and ideology. These relationships are analyzed at both the individual and regional level within the countries in our study.

Additionally, the workshop will feature presentations by the scholars in the region that contributed to the research project and a select group of economists from Ghana on themes related to the project. We will also gather a group of policymakers and representatives of advocacy groups and civil society organizations to broaden and deepen the conversation. A select subgroup of these policymakers and representatives will also lead a critical discussion in the concluding policy roundtable on national policies regarding women’s empowerment.

We are grateful to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for their generous financial support for this workshop.

Participation by invitation only. Please contact Professor Abena D. Oduro ([email protected]) for further information.

The complete schedule is available here.