By Rachel Kakraba
Ghana joins the global community to mark International Women’s Day today. Celebrated on the theme “equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, break the bias”, it is focused on women and girls who are already disproportionately impacted by climate change and who will continue to be left behind if measures are not enacted.
The day further recognizes the contribution of women and girls around the world who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and mitigation and response to build a more sustainable future for all”.
One Could hear chants of war songs in Nigeria as women march to the National Assembly Complex in the capital to demonstrate against the Senate’s vote against the adoption of five gender related Bills. The Bills would have among other things granted citizenship to foreign-born husbands of Nigerian women. There were also provisions in one of the Bills to assign 35% of legislative seats to women, as well as reserve 35 % of political party leadership, for them. Protesters said the rejection of the Bills which would have been a major step at promoting gender equality pushes back years of efforts by female lawmakers, lobbyists and activists. One would ask, are such inequalities peculiar to Nigeria? Gender Advocate, Communication and Brands Manager, SOS Children’s Villages, Ghana, Edith Efua Chidi, says such gender bias ”exists even in Ghana”.
”Women at the local level are mostly farmers but there is still no access to land as a woman to get land in the hinterlands to farms, you will have to go through men who are still land owners, even though a lot has been been done in terms of advocacy.Women still face the bias when it comes to Ghana.
Commemorated on the theme, Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, this year’s International Women’s Day seeks to address inequalities against women. Enyonam Azumah, works at the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
”The UK is committed to addressing the root causes of gender inequality as a way of empowering girls and women now more than ever. With the outset of Covid to enable them to have voice choices and control in their lives”, she said.
For her, though parity across genders in access to education has seen significant improvement, ”some challenges persist and will require more effort to unlock the potential of girls”.
The celebration of International Women’s Day this year is to advance gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction which is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. For Caretaker Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, this has become necessary for the world with the recognition of women as ”more vulnerable to the impact of climate change than their male counterparts”.
”Women are increasingly being recognised as more vulnerable by the impact than men. As they constitute the majority and are more dependent on the natural resources that threaten climate change the most there is therefore a need to recognise and advance gender equality in the context of climate change and disaster rescue reduction”.
It appears messages of empowerment to Ghanaian women are having an influence on their lives. I engaged some traders at the Kaneshie Market.
”As a woman you must work hard to support the family for unforeseen occurrences,I cannot depend on my husband alone should the unfortunate happen, what would become of me and my children”.
A woman must be a diligent worker in order to avoid being confronted with hardships. I appreciate and love beautiful things but who should be responsible for what I desire?
The caretaker Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Cecilia AbenaDapaah, while applauding women for their contribution to national development, says the ministry will continue to increase awareness of women’s rights.
”Women these days assume the responsibilities of their families the same as men. As a wife I don’t want to demand everything from my husband”.
However, Gender Advocate Efua Chidi wants more commitment from the government, especially getting the Affirmative Action Bill passed.
”As a woman I want to work very hard for the future, so that it won’t be like I’m stuck on the way or something”.
International Women’s Day is a commemorative event set aside by the United Nations to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women globally. May this year’s celebration not be the usual talk shop as the Ghanaian woman seeks to see more commitment to issues of gender equality.
Read also: International Women’s Day
