AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS FEMALE PASTORS IN TWO DISTRICTS IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GHANA.

ABSTRACT Leadership as has been portrayed historically, carries notions of masculinity. And the belief that the male counterparts in most of the existential realities make better leaders than women is still common today. Despite this notion, a lot of women are taking up leadership positions in all spheres of society today. Women are also rising through the corporate, political and religious structures of society today. Several factors can account for this phenomenon. Nonetheless, it is being popularly asserted that attitudes and perceptions towards females are accountable for the increasing numbers of females in leadership; especially female leadership in the church. Could this popular assertion account for the steady increasing of females entering into priesthood in PCG (the first Orthodox Church in Ghana to allow the ordination of females into the priesthood)? This thesis therefore through a systematic analysis and documentation of attitudes and perceptions of the laity and pastors of PCG towards female pastors of two districts in the PCG, investigated the above assertion. The data obtained was analysed using the African feminist post-structural theory, which espouses change on women’s issues from an African feminist point of view. Among the many outcomes of the research it was found that members of the PCG accept the leadership of female pastors. And this is mainly so because of transformations in their attitudes and perceptions towards female leadership. It was also found that some of the negative perceptions that were used earlier to keep female pastors from the ordained ministry still persist. In addition, it was found that the permeating of feminist ideologies into all decisions and discussions recently, play a major role in the changes in perceptions and attitudes towards female leadership (female pastors) in the PCG. This work is important because it brings to light information on the post-ordination activities and experiences of the laity and clergy in Ghana using the PCG as case-study.