Barriers to the Effective Implementation of Gender Equality Laws and Policies in Rural Ghana: Structure, Culture, Agency

Asia and Africa today. 2026. No. 3. P. 57–65.

G.L. Enchill, E.R. Iarskaia-Smirnova

This qualitative study examines barriers to implementing gender equality laws in rural Ghana that
occur despite progressive constitutional provisions. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 15 experts from
NGOs, government, and academia, the analysis applies Margaret Archer’s morphogenetic theory of
structure, culture, and agency. Structural barriers include institutional underfunding and weak enforcement
mechanisms. Cultural conditioning manifests in entrenched norms such as gender stereotypes, witchcraft
accusations, pacification practices, and emerging issues like technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Agency constraints encompass insufficient reflexivity and low legal awareness among stakeholders,
exacerbating rural Ghanaian women’s vulnerability. Findings reveal a disconnection between legal
framework and practice, hindering progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 5 and female
representation targets. The study recommends integrated strategies: combining legal enforcement, cultural
transformation, and empowerment initiatives to overcome structural, cultural, and agency-related barriers
and achieve sustainable gender equality in rural Ghana

Keywords: feminism, Affirmative action, Ghana, gender equality barriers, progressive laws, morphogenetic theory, policy enforcement, rural Ghana

Publication based on the results of: The diversity of forms, effects and barriers to integration of modern Russian society in synchronic and diachronic dimensions (2025)