Young women in Ghana’s creative industry are facing widespread sexual harassment and gender discrimination, although many continue to pursue careers in the arts despite the barriers, according to a new study.
The report, titled Behind the Scenes (BtS): Young Women and Gender-Based Inequities in Africa’s Creative Sector, examines the challenges confronting women as they seek to establish themselves across the creative industries.
Its findings point to a sector in which harassment and discrimination remain significant obstacles. But the research also highlights the determination of many young women who have chosen to remain in the industry and continue working towards their creative ambitions.
The study was presented recently at a national dissemination event in Accra. Prof. Joshua Amo-Adjei, co-lead of the project from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), said the resilience shown by young women must be considered when solutions are being developed.
He urged stakeholders to go beyond identifying the problems and focus on creating conditions in which women can succeed.
“The findings should prompt stakeholders to move past simply listing problems and start creating real conditions where women can actually thrive,” he said.
For many women working in Ghana’s arts community, the conclusions are familiar. Female creatives have previously spoken publicly about the difficulties they face, including unequal treatment and pressure linked to their appearance.
Comedian Jacinta Ocansey has criticised double standards and pay disparities within the industry. Singer Efe Keyz has also spoken openly about pressure on female artists to use their bodies as a way of advancing their music careers.
Those accounts have given a personal dimension to the concerns recorded in the Behind the Scenes research. They have also added to a wider discussion about how to build safer and fairer working environments for women in Ghana’s creative sector.
Juliana Amoateng, the project’s National Creative Ambassador, said conversations with women involved in the research showed that many were not surprised by the findings.
Instead, she said, the study had provided them with the confidence and vocabulary to discuss experiences they had previously kept to themselves.
“Women responded to the findings not with surprise but with recognition. Once the data gave language to what they had long carried, they began sharing their own experiences,” she said.
The Ghanaian arm of the project is being led by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UCC. Prof. Georgina Yaa Oduro leads the work alongside Prof. Amo-Adjei.
The initiative is supported by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) – Africa, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
Launched in 2024, the project aims to document the experiences of young women in the creative sector while also strengthening the research skills of young people.
It forms part of a wider programme covering seven African countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Ghana.
The research concludes that Ghana’s creative industry must do more to provide safe and equitable spaces where young women can develop their careers without being exposed to harassment or discrimination.
