Assessing the Participation of Women in the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry in Ghana

Abstract

The disparity in the representation women in oil and gas industry has been found to slow down women development, affects economic growth in resource-rich developing countries and induces poverty as well. Too often however, women are denied their rights to contribute their quota in the Oil and Gas development upstream losing all opportunities associated with it in the quest for a balanced gender development and sustainability. Achieving the gains promised by the industry, in particular for women, depends on understanding, identifying and managing the challenges that militate against these goals. The study used descriptive research design with a cross-sectional survey to assess the participation of women in the Oil and Gas industry in Ghana by examining opportunities for gainful employment by women and the challenges that fight against equal gender representation in the Oil and Gas upstream development in Ghana. The study found that women were not equally represented in all sectors of employment identified within the Oil and Gas operations upstream and do not have any controlling positions and hence cannot influence decision making. The study recommended that support programs be set in place to ensure that women are not discriminated against in the Oil and Gas sector, which has been characterized as "hyper-masculine" and seems to favor male representation at the expense of females, based on the results.