Business Commons^™

Barriers To Women In Economic Development, Rachel Ann Rawlings

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The focus of my research is on Ghana, because I completed a microfinance internship there. The methodology of this research is a combination of direct observation, interviews, and secondary research. Women in Ghana are limited from obtaining greater economic power by formal and informal barriers. Formal barriers are systematic exclusions from resources that prevent women from pursuing greater levels of power, specifically lack of access to capital and unstable political institutions. Informal barriers are perceived by individuals or societies but are not evidenced in the societal structure. Informal barriers that hinder women from progress include community restraints regarding the role …