Let the Men Do It: Taking Advantage of Gender Inequalities in Water Resources Governance in the Bosomtwi District of Ghana

Yvonne Adjakloe, University of Cape Coast
Lailah Alidu, University of Warwick

Current discourses depict efforts of mainstreaming female genders into water resources governance since they are mostly in the minority when it comes to the formal administration and management of water resources. The purpose of this paper is to provide some answers to why these strategies and policies have not been effective in some selected communities within the Bosomtwi District of Ghana. Using an interview guide, focused group discussion guide and an observation checklist, data were sourced from members from water sector institutions, community members and traditional authorities in two rural and two urban areas within the district. Findings showed that the female genders took advantage of their exclusion in water resources governance to free them from extra responsibilities hence the inability of government policies on gender mainstreaming to integrate and yield expected outcomes. It is recommended that policies should be place-specific because of heterogeneous nature of women in the cultural settings.