Social Capital and Women’s Representation in Local Government Administration in Ghana

This paper explores women's social capital; tangible and intangible resources that enable them to engage in local politics. The theory of social capital underpinned this study. The study also used a qualitative, phenomenological design for data collection. Twenty respondents, including assemblywomen, assemblymen and gender advocates, participated in this study in two selected regions of Ghana. The findings indicate that women could rely on their social capital within their communities, leveraging networking and associations to win elections. This study's findings also revealed individual motivation, community assistance, family assistance, civil society support, and campaign action plans as the enabling factors for women's victory in elections to the district assemblies. The results imply that the corresponding relationship between women's dependence on social resources and their aspirations to access political positions is significant to their representation in local government system.