Women’s Education And Career Development In The Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana

ABSTRACT

Women’s education is a subject of growing national and international interest due to its role in social and economic development. The main aim of this study has been to examine how women’s education aids in the development of their career. Using a descriptive study design, data was gathered from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 140 women were interviewed for the main analyses while 316 women and men were also profiled from five (5) selected institutions/employment sectors for a comparison of the status of women. Five (5) different occupational sectors (teaching, administration, nursing, banking and the judicial service) were purposively because these sectors necessarily require formal education for recruiting employees, and at times for promotions. Also, the study employed a non-probability (convenience) sampling approach to select the professional women because they usually have busy work schedules and less time. The study identified that the educational level of the participating women of the Tamale Metropolis was generally low and this translated into lower career advancement in their employment sectors. Thus most of the women held lower to middle level positions in their workplace. The study further found that women were largely more focused on executing domestic and marital responsibilities than their responsibilities in the work place. It was also observed that most women would advance their education for two reasons: to secure a good job and earn a higher salary in the chosen occupation. Financial difficulties and marital challenges were some of the factors said to hinder women’s educational advancement in the Tamale Metropolis. It was also found that Distance Learning had become common among women in terms of advancing their education for progression in their chosen career. It was thus concluded that women were underrepresented in paid employment though most of them with lower and middle level qualifications were able to progress faster in their established professions as their educational advancement enhanced their career progression. Women tended to advance better in lower jobs due mainly to home demands that divided their attention. It is therefore recommended that government and development partners should design scholarship programs for them to aid their educational advancement. Policy-makers should also be flexible in designing employment policies that take into consideration time required for women to be promoted to higher positions.