ABSTRACT

Women’s participation in community development projects is now essential as it helps to promote inclusive development and decentralized development planning. This paper assesses the perceived benefits and barriers to women’s participation in ecotourism development and their implications for community planning at the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA). Using questionnaires, a total of 169 women from four selected communities within the KCA were sampled through a cluster sampling technique. The women were found to have perceived that the KCA project has yielded more environmental benefits than socio-cultural and economic benefits. They were uncertain as to whether the constraints inhibiting their participation were cultural or personal but were certain on operational and structural barriers. To address the situation, the Ghana Tourism Authority and the District Assemblies in the area should ensure the proper functioning of the decentralized planning structures for women to participate well and obtain the necessary benefits therein.

摘要

妇女参与社区发展项目现在至关重要，因为它有助于促进包容性发展和权力下放的发展计划。本文评估了妇女参与生态旅游发展的好处和障碍，以及它们对卡库姆保护区（KCAum）的社区规划的影响。使用问卷调查，通过整群抽样技术对来自KCA四个选定社区的169名妇女进行了抽样。这些妇女被发现认为，KCA项目比社会文化和经济利益产生了更多的环境利益。他们不确定阻碍他们参加的限制是文化因素还是个人因素，但在操作和结构上存在障碍。为了解决这种情况，