Investigating the gender wealth gap in Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the determinants of the substantial wealth gap between married men and women in Ghana across the wealth distribution. The data is part of the multi-country project, The Gender Asset Gap Project, and is unique in that it contains information on asset ownership at the level of the individuals within households. The study finds a large gender wealth gap at the top of the wealth distribution and that gender differences in inheritance and educational attainment contribute to a substantial part of the gap. While several studies have explored gender earning gaps, few have looked at the composition of the gender wealth gap across the distribution at the national level. This is the first study of its kind to investigate the components of the gender wealth gap within an African country context.