Mainstreaming from Beijing to Ghana - the role of the women's movement in Ghana

Commitment to gender mainstreaming has been expressed worldwide as a result of the Beijing conference in 1995. The introduction of gender mainstreaming in the Beijing Platform for Action was regarded as a victory for gender ambassadors from the South, including the women's movements. However, an empirical study from Ghana on the processes of 'translating' gender mainstreaming into practice demonstrates that gender mainstreaming has not lived up to the expectations for transformation - the Ghanaian women's movement has not played the role imagined in taking gender mainstreaming further. 'Agenda-setting' of the women's movement and taking gender mainstreaming in a more democratic/participatory direction seems to be more of a vision than a reality in this context.