Abstract

Until recently, Ghana’s public institutions were inclined toward “masculine” work environments. The strategy adopted to address the gender issues included embarking on reforming Ghana’s public administration in a manner that will enhance equity, taking into consideration the peculiar circumstances of women and other vulnerable groups in the country. This paper analyzes the programs and polices geared towards gender mainstreaming in six Ministries, Departments and Agencies within Ghana’s public sector. A review of national legislations and polices in the central government level was included. The study revealed that despite these efforts, progress on women’s empowerment and gender concerns in public administration has been slow. This is as a result of deeply entrenched cultural and traditional beliefs which have encroached into the workplace. The study also identified that there exists some level of gender awareness however, there is lack of commitment and capacity to implement mainstreaming strategies. This study recommends the development of institutional strengthening and capacity development in gender mainstreaming of top and middle level management of public sector institutions. Additionally, government should be committed to the monitoring and the evaluation of gender mainstreaming strategies and implementation by the various Ministries, Department and Agencies.