BAIDOO ARMAH JOSEPH

10852150

UGRC 230

EXAMS November 9, 2021

ANSWERS TO EXAMINATION

Q2

Socialization involves the conscious effort by society to pass down its norms, values

and morals to generations according to Johnson Turner (1997). Due to this,

socialization plays a very important role in gender equality and its effects can be

great. In contemporary society, social institutions such as family, schools, churches

and mosques greatly reinforce gender inequality through series of conscious and

unconscious efforts, and the extent of these have been alarming.

To begin with, in social institutions such as churches and mosques, certain practices

induce gender inequality in the religious affiliations. Some of these practices include

restriction of women as pastors, imams and reverend mothers, covering of head which

is dominant among women in these institutions, separate gatherings trokosi act,

witchcraft allegations, widowhood rites and many more. These practices show gender

inequality because one gender is forced to do certain acts which the other gender do

not have to do. These practices unconsciously reinforce gender inequality in the

society and has eaten into normality to the extent that, they are viewed as normalities

in the society.

Another social institution which reinforces gender inequality is the traditional

institutions where a presiding chief rules. In most traditional societies, the system is

purely patriarchal as men assume highest authority in these institutions. The highest
form of power for female is the queen mother. In these institutions, queen mothers

have powers to nominate the chief but have limited say when decisions are to be made

for the community. Also, the formation of the National House of Chiefs do not

include the queen mothers but only the chiefs, which are dominantly male. From this,

it can be seen that the system favors one gender over the other and hence one group

becomes inferior to the other. Even as many reforms are available to curb gender

inequality, these practices reinforce it. The traditional society is a very dominant

society in the society, hence the extents of its unconscious inequality can only be

imagined. Many societies follow the patriarchal system and hence there are many

situations of these gender inequality in the society.

Finally, another major institution involved in reinforcing gender inequality in the

society is the family. The family as the first point of socialization for the child

reinforces gender inequality right from the beginning. In the family, both males and

females have certain jobs which are typical to them. For example, in a typical

traditional family, the female is supposed to cook and do household chores. The males

are made to farm and engage in relatively hard work. Also, there is a formal

expectation of how males and females should behave in the home with the males

making decisions. The payment of bridewealth is also also expected to be paid by

men alone in marriages. Wives are often cheated during splitting of properties when

the man the husband passes away. All these demonstrate a sense of gender inequality

present in the family. Many reforms and institutions are present in order to prevent

some of these acts from happening. However, the family being a major point of

socialization in the society means gender inequality in the family will not be easily

eradicated. This shows the extent to which gender inequality has been reinforced.
Q3

In the contemporary world, members of a community share views which are highly

influenced by an array of pervasive information. Culture become more dynamic with

increasing information accessible to us at any time. One broad way of gaining

information is by popular culture. Popular culture is an aspect of culture that has a

universal appeal. Popular culture, through its many branches, has become a great

influence on the way we think. Due to its popularity, the media has become the main

example of popular culture which promotes gender stereotypes typically against

women and hence endangers them.

One way through which popular culture promotes stereotypical views aginst women

is by social media. Social media as an example of popular culture and due to its

liability, false information are dominant on its platform. Many views are false and

very much endangers the people especially women. For instance, the social media is

full of stories of women who have led unfaithful lives with their husbands. News like

this have sparked the stereotypical view that most women are cheats. Also stories of

women being raped are neglected and attributed to indecent dressing among them.

Since Ghanaian culture frown on western culture, people tend to neglect these

accusations. This causes women to be more exposed to these criminal acts

Another way through which popular culture promotes stereotypical views and

endangers women is through the production of movies. In a typical local movie, old

women are usually portrayed as witches and cause harm. These witches as portrayed

in the movies have no good intention and cause destruction in the community. Due to

this old women in the community are accused of witchcraft and are either banished to

witch camps or even killed. This causes worry among worry as they age and even
cause depression in some. Due to popular culture, this stereotype endangers women

and puts them in a position where they can be harmed

Finally one way popular culture promotes stereotype and endangers women is through

the television. The television is an effective way to reach out to the general masses in

a community. In TV productions, men are usually casted as dominant features in the

contemporary homes with women as helps. In movies and arts, women are usually

given roles that show minority and are forced to accept decisions men make. In some

instances men beat their wives and go free. All these contribute immensely to the

stereotype that women are inferior to men and that men are the dominant features in

the local homes. This endangers women and increases gender inequality in the

contemporary African setting, where more efforts are being put in place to promote

gender equality and justice.