| Although the mobilization of women in Latin America prior to and during the transition to democracy has been well studied, the mobilization of women in Sub-Saharan Africa during this transition has received little attention. Yet, the study of women's mobilization within an emerging democratic state of Sub-Saharan Africa would provide insight into how women may renegotiate their position in relation to transforming political structures, and how they may work to redefine their own rights. Using a theoretical framework that combines citizenship, civil society, and social movements literature, the mobilization of women in the emerging democracy of Ghana is examined. Specifically, in-depth interviews with 33 members of women's organizations and multivariate analyses of a survey of 621 women are used to explore whether women's organizations are attempting to incorporate non-partisan political issues into their agendas, whether they are attempting to mobilize women to participate in the formal political process in order to transform their citizenship rights, and, if so, whether they are contributing to a transitional democratic state. The results indicate that despite hindrances from prior military regimes, women's organizations view the electoral process as a means to mobilize women. They have attempted to mobilize women to participate in elections, and their mobilization efforts appear to have influenced the political behavior of women. Implications of these findings for our understanding of women's mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa are discussed. |
