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.
