The president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa made a statement recently at a women’s summit in Canada. He is being chastized for this unfortunate statement. Some argue he was disrespectful to Ghanaian women while his supporters and Cabinet see nothing wrong with his statement.1. I agree with him that women need to be at the decision making table to create a real impact.2.While I believe he meant well and believes in women’s rights, I find his statement about the failure of women to engage in the activism required to advance their causes particularly to reach decision making level, quite unfortunate and disappointing for someone with his human rights, legal and political experience. The statement fails to recognize the cultural attitudes and structural barriers that obstruct women’s upward mobility, independence and autonomy. The general Ghanaian culture and atmosphere reinforce the subjugation of women in both private and public spaces.Women are hardly encouraged to take powerful positions but are rather encouraged to be subservient to male figures. Women are expected to act in the shadows of men in all spaces and are praised for being “submissive” to their male counterparts. They are looked down upon unless they are married. They are supposed to be recognized often through male figures. They perceived negativily if they’re more powerful and/or have more resources than their husbands or male household members.Our culture restricts women in families, in households, communities, formal and informal workplaces. Even when they succeed on their own, they are discouraged from taking credit.Women have limited access to credit, property, lands, power, technology and discriminated against in accessing other resources. Many widowed women particularly the less educated and rural women are still being denied access to family resources. Boys are largely prioritized over girls when resources are limited for education and property acquisitions.Women are burdened with many household responsibilities that are unpaid or minimally paid. They care for children, husbands, the elderly and the infirmed. They are responsible for nearly all household chores including cooking, washing, collecting and managing water, sanitation and child rearing. Meanwhile, these activities limit their time available for earning incomes or accessing higher education.When women manage to earn incomes, they are expected to give credit to male household heads or have the men transact business on their behalf. At times, many women are denied or restricted access of their own money or incomes by male household heads.Brave, educated and independent women are labeled, subjected to name calling, chastized or not recognized as “good” or real women.Women are at times restricted from accessing opportunities, workplaces or education upon having their menstrual periods or right after child birth.Many women are blamed for family misfortunes particularly when they fall ill, age or have their menstrual periods. Violence against women are normalized or condoned by the general society. Women are demonized by religious bodies and institutions and said to be “witches” or perceived to be the sources of evil.For the president to ignore so many of these oppressive structures (albeit non-exhaustive) is quite unfortunate and disappointing. He ought to have known that not much has been done in Ghana to dismantle those structural barriers or cause the change he wants to see.That said, I don’t think this should be politicized as some opportunistic individuals and politicians who may or may not hold the same views as the president or may be contributing to women’s oppression, are expousing.The president’s statement should rather start intellectual a conversation that would hold the president and other powerful individuals accountable and perhaps lead to calls for structural and practical reforms that will empower and facilitate the kind of “dynamism ” the president was talking about.It is about time we admitted to our shortcomings as a society, engage in meaningful discussions that lead to real solutions not trying to take advantage of a real situation for our personal or political agenda. Let’s grow up as a nation and stop the pettiness and bickering.Proud of Ghana’s progress! Move forward Ghana!Signed
Akosua G
Ontario, Canada