Research Project
This research project studies the underlying factors that influence the career choices of men and women in scientific fields and their connection to social and gender norms in Ghana.
The study focuses on students taking STEM courses at the University of Ghana. The specific research objectives are:
- The professional aspirations of women and men and the difference between them (if any).
- The social, cultural, economic, and political factors that influence the choices of women in scientific disciplines (and to what degree these factors are different for men).
- Gender differences in performance in scientific fields and whether or not academic performance affected career choices. Because of the challenges posed by COVID-19, the project’s data was collected via a Google Form.
A total of 251 students (53% men and 47% women) in STEM programs at the University of Ghana responded to the survey. They came from the engineering, math, statistics, actuarial sciences, biological sciences, and computer science departments. The researchers also conducted several in-depth interviews.
Researchers
PROFESSOR CHARLOTTE WRIGLEY-ASANTE
Human Geography, Gender, and Development, University of Ghana.
Professor Charlotte Wrigley-Asante is a human geographer and a specialist in gender and development. She is an expert in qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
She has been involved in several projects about gender, poverty, and empowerment in Ghana. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) at University of Ghana.
Charles Godfred Ackah
Development Economist, University of Ghana.
Dr. Charles Ackah is a development economist interested in the socio-economic and gender impacts of government policies, including economic and industrial policies, labor market and financial market reform, business development, gender equality, and issues of female empowerment.
And is the outgoing Director of the Centre for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana.