Gender norms perspectives: women labour and artisanal small-scale gold mining in Wa East district of Ghana

Women participation in the ASM has gained worldwide recognition especially in Ghana. Despite the fact that women are highly represented in the sector, forming close to about 50% of the labour force, yet their activities are often discriminated against. Through a case study of artisanal mining in Wa East District of Ghana, this paper explores the political dynamics of gender roles in the ASM sector in ascertaining the impact of mining on women and their immediate surroundings. To achieve this, the study dwelled on a number of approaches such as gender and development (GAD), labour feminisation and occupational sex segregation in examining the issue. Findings from the research revealed that, artisanal mining presents a paradox: as more women are venturing in to the sector, more and more are being discriminated, stigmatised, and treated unequally with their male counterparts, partly because of the prevailing social norms and the culture of the community. This warranted the adoption of various off-farm and farm income diversification strategies by the women in augmenting their income levels for survival. Such strategies include: Pito brewing, Shea-butter production, trading, and some re-investing in to farming in an attempt to secure sustainable incomes. However, the state laws and policies are very silent about women involvement in the sector.