Ghana

Parliament

Specialized body - Women's caucus

Parliamentarian Women's Caucus
(January 1993)

About

The caucus is open to male MPs
Yes
The caucus is cross-party
Yes
Notes
The Caucus was established with the objective of demonstrating women’s presence in the Legislature in the context of descriptive, substantive, and symbolic representation of the Ghanaian woman.
There are rules governing the functioning of the caucus
Yes

Activities

Issues dealt with by the caucus
Advocates for girl-child education and promotes initiatives against domestic violence and gender-biased cultural practices, such as widowhood rites and female genital mutilation, besides promoting affirmative action at all levels of government and society.

The Caucus has been successful in establishing vocational schools for training women, in offering short-term loans to women, and in encouraging the Government of Ghana to sign on to the United Nation’s Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2003. The Caucus provides sound research on gender concerns, it monitors and evaluates government action with respect to gender issues and carries out analysis of the gender implications of the bills passed by Parliament.