Gender bias remains a persistent social challenge affecting representation, participation, and knowledge production in research environments, especially in developing nations. This study investigates how gender bias affects access to scientific research interviews and the quality of data in Ghana. Drawing on Feminist Standpoint Theory, Social Role Theory, and Feminist Methodology Theory, the analysis shows that gender-shaped social positions influence the generation and interpretation of knowledge. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants at five Ghanaian universities to capture diverse perspectives. Thematic analysis identified recurring experiences and patterns of gender bias in research practices. Findings reveal that gender discrimination affects access to research opportunities, shapes participants’ responses, and influences the inclusiveness of research outcomes. Interviewees reported barriers to leadership positions within research teams. They also noted that participants’ willingness to share information, influenced by gender stereotypes, contributes to marginalization. Further analysis shows that women’s perspectives are frequently marginalized in male-dominated research settings. Addressing gender discrimination is essential to ensure comprehensive and equitable access to interviews and high-quality data and to address the existing gaps. The study recommends capacity-building initiatives, gender-responsive policies, and institutional frameworks to promote equal participation and inclusivity in knowledge production. This research is crucial for stakeholders to develop national policies to address marginalization.
References
[1]
Adjei, M. (2024). Gendered Spaces and Entanglements: Analysis of Fisher Couples’ Decision-Making and Practices in Ghana’s Western Region. Gender, Place & Culture, 31, 771-793. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369x.2023.2189082
[2]
Adongo, A. A., Dapaah, J. M., & Azumah, F. D. (2024). Gender and Access to Justice in the Informal Court System in Ghana: A Descriptive Phenomenology in a Patriarchal Society. Current Social Sciences, 1, e250124226275. https://doi.org/10.2174/012772316x277583231229091308
[3]
Adu-Bonsaffoh, K., Tamma, E., Maya, E., Vogel, J. P., Tuncalp, O., & Bohren, M. A. (2022). Health Workers’ And Hospital Administrators’ Perspectives on Mistreatment of Women During Facility-Based Childbirth: A Multicenter Qualitative Study in Ghana. Reproductive Health, 19, Article No. 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01372-3
[4]
Agalga, S., Alatinga, K. A., & Abiiro, G. A. (2022). Enablers and Inhibitors of Community Participation in Ghana’s Community-Based Health Planning and Services Programme: A Qualitative Study in the Builsa North Municipality. BMC Health Services Research, 22, Article No. 1468. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08869-4
[5]
Agunyai, S. C., Ikedinma, A. H., & Ojakororu, V. (2023). New Media, Women Empowerment, and Community Development Projects in Africa: Insights from Nigeria. African Journal of Gender, Society and Development, 12, 119-140. https://doi.org/10.31920/2634-3622/2023/v12n4a6
[6]
Akponeware, A. O., Obiora, S. C., Ogunnusi, M., Omotayo, T., Ayinla, K., Turkson, R. E. et al. (2026). Reframing Gendered Leadership in STEM Higher Education: Comparative Insights on Power, Progression, and Institutional Disruption. Education Sciences, 16, Article No. 841. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16060841
[7]
Amegah, A. (2022). Re-Imagining Policy Discourses Concerning the Participation of Young Women in STEM-Related TVET in Ghana. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 76, 863-886. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2022.2115938
[8]
Ampim, G. A., Haukanes, H., Blystad, A., & Kpoor, A. (2022). “I Do Not Want Her to Be Doing Anything Stressful”: Men’s Involvement in Domestic Work during Pregnancy in Ghana. Progress in Development Studies, 22, 319-334. https://doi.org/10.1177/14649934221103913
[9]
Asante, A. K., & Attom, L. E. (2022). Socio-Economic and Cultural Barriers That Affect Women’s Participation in Local Level Governance in the Central Region of Ghana. Universal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2, 234-258. https://doi.org/10.31586/ujssh.2022.556
[10]
Banks, J., González, T., Mueller, C., Pacheco, M., Scott, L. A., & Trainor, A. A. (2023). Reflexive Quality Criteria: Questions and Indicators for Purpose-Driven Special Education Qualitative Research. Exceptional Children, 89, 449-466. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029231168106
[11]
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[12]
Burke, P. J., Gyamera, G. O., & the Ghanaian Feminist Collective (2023). Examining the Gendered Timescapes of Higher Education: Reflections through Letter Writing as Feminist Praxis. Gender and Education, 35, 267-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2022.2151982
[13]
Charway, D., & Strandbu, ？. (2024). Participation of Girls and Women in Community Sport in Ghana: Cultural and Structural Barriers. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 59, 559-578. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902231214955
[14]
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2023). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches (5th ed.) Sage Publications.
[15]
Dery, I., & Amoah, S. T. (2022). Disrupting Hegemonic Masculinity(ies): Unpicking Urban Men’s Livelihood Survival Strategies in Ghana. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 31, 223-240. https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265221095487
[16]
Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (2012). Social Role Theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology (pp. 458-476). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n49
[17]
Guamán-Llongo, L. G., Zea-Vera, M. E., Macías-Vilela, D. C., & Angulo, D. (2026). A Bibliometric and Systematic Study on Public Policy, Health, and Culture in the Transformation of Gender Equity. Frontiers in Sociology, 11, Article ID: 1800195. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2026.1800195
[18]
Harding, S. (2004). A Socially Relevant Philosophy of Science? Resources from Standpoint Theory’s Controversiality. Hypatia, 19, 25-47. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.2004.tb01267.x
[19]
Harding, S. G. (2004). The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies. Routledge.
[20]
Hartsock, N. C. M. (1983). The Feminist Standpoint: Developing the Ground for a Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism. In S. Harding, & M. B. Hintikka (Eds), Discovering Reality: Feminist Perspectives on Epistemology, Metaphysics, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science (pp. 283-310). Reidel. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48017-4_15
[21]
Heng, T. T. (2020). Examining the Role of Theory in Qualitative Research: A Literature Review of Studies on Chinese International Students in Higher Education. Journal of International Students, 10, 798-816. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.1571
[22]
Herbert, R., Falk-Krzesinski, H. J., James, K., & Plume, A. (2022). Sustainability through a Gender Lens: The Extent to Which Research on UN Sustainable Development Goals Includes Sex and Gender Consideration. PLOS ONE, 17, e0275657. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275657
[23]
Hiebl, M. R. W. (2023). Literature Reviews of Qualitative Accounting Research: Challenges and Opportunities. Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, 20, 309-336. https://doi.org/10.1108/qram-12-2021-0222
[24]
Kennedy, E., Castanelli, D. J., Molloy, E., & Bearman, M. (2024). Addressing Positionality in Qualitative Research: Significance, Challenges and Strategies. The Clinical Teacher, 21, e13820. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13820
[25]
Mfoafo-M’Carthy, M., & Grischow, J. (2022). Hierarchy and Inequality in Research: Navigating the Challenges of Research in Ghana. Qualitative Research, 22, 729-742.
[26]
Nahar, S., & Mengo, C. W. (2022). Measuring Women’s Empowerment in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review. Journal of International Development, 34, 322-333. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3594
[27]
Oakley, A. (1981). Interviewing Women: A Contradiction in Terms? In H. Roberts (Ed.), Doing Feminist Research (pp. 30-61). Routledge & Kegan Paul.
[28]
Omari, R., Akuffobea-Essilfie, M., Baah-Tuahene, S., Hagan, E., Sarpong-Anane, A. B., Asabo, R. et al. (2024). Barriers to Women’s Participation in Higher Engineering Education: A Qualitative Assessment of the Role of Social Networks of Students in a Ghanaian University. Discover Education, 3, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00186-8
[29]
Reinharz, S. (1992). Feminist Methods in Social Research. Oxford University Press.
[30]
Rosen, J. (2013). The Effects of Political Institutions on Women’s Political Representation: A Comparative Analysis of 168 Countries from 1992 to 2010. Political Research Quarterly, 66, 306-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912912449698
[31]
Smith, D. E. (1987). The Everyday World as Problematic: A Feminist Sociology. Northeastern University Press.
[32]
Van der Tuin, I. (2016). Feminist Standpoint Theory. In A. Wong, M. Wickramasinghe, R. Hoogland, & N. A. Naples (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies (pp. 1-4). Wiley-Blackwell.
[33]
Wadei, B., Fredua Antoh, E., Addison, M., & Yeboah, T. (2024). An Overview of the Obstacles to Gender Equality Processes in Rural and Urban Ghana: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 60, 3654-3669. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096241235290
[34]
Wadei, B., Osei-Wusu Adjei, P., & Forkuor, D. (2023). Domestic Conflict as a Possible Outcome of Gender Role Change: Experiences and Perceptions from Rural and Urban Ghana. Cogent Social Sciences, 9, Article ID: 2282421. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2282421
[35]
Yakovleva, N., Vazquez-Brust, D. A., Arthur-Holmes, F., & Abrefa Busia, K. (2022). Gender Equality in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Ghana: Assessing Progress towards SDG 5 Using Salience and Institutional Analysis and Design. Environmental Science & Policy, 136, 92-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.003
[36]
Yalley, A. A. (2024). Layers of Inequality: Gender, Medicalisation and Obstetric Violence in Ghana. International Journal for Equity in Health, 23, Article No. 243. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02331-z
